WESTERN EQUATORIA - The remote community of Bazungua, in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state has been through a lot.

Their families and friends were brutally killed during the civil war that erupted here in 2016, people were forced to flee their homes, seeking sanctuary in neighboring villages.

With signing of the Revitalized Peace Agreement in 2018, relative peace has returned to the area and displaced people have begun returning to their places of origins.

However, the scourge of gender-based violence is still casts an unwanted shadow.

As part of ongoing efforts to support returnees here, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) recently travelled to Bazungua bringing together some 200 residents under sunny skies and shady trees with a single aim: Sensitizing them on preventing, reporting on and ending all human rights abuses, especially violence against women.

“I have witnessed a lot of instances of gender-based violence and where survivors were too afraid or stigmatized to report them to au the victims were afraid to report what happened to them to authorities which pains me,” said Eva James, a participant.

“What I have learnt today is how to report rape cases. I will advise women not to keep quiet but to report any such violation of their rights to the police. I will also report these cases in my village and help the survivors receive the psychosocial support they desperately need,” she added.

For those who could not attend, women’s rights messengers are on the ready to trickle down their learning.

“I am going to tell my neighbors that cases of gender-based violence must be reported so that perpetrators can be held accountable,” averred Addesa Clementina, another participant.

Musical interludes with songs advocating for the prevention of all forms of violence against women and a question-and-answer session were also part of the workshop.

For her part, Margret Joshua, a Gender Affairs Officer with the UN Peacekeeping mission said the event was timely and impactful.

“We have been able to enlighten a large part of the community here about monitoring, protection and reporting human rights violations in general and women’s rights in particular, stressing the fact that they must ensure that they report any violation immediately,” she revealed.

Bazungua youth, Isaac Pisiru, agreed, saying that he felt empowered by an enhanced understanding of how to respond to human rights violations, violence against women as well as the role played by UNMISS in South Sudan.

“It is going to help us psychologically if we know our rights and our responsibilities as well as the rights of others,” he stated. “Ultimately, women’s rights are an inalienable part of human rights,” he stated.

Discussions also highlighted various ways to promote peaceful coexistence among the community members.

“As I return home, I will be an ambassador of peace because I don’t want my community to go back to the past but rather look ahead to a peaceful future,” said Clement Posio, payam administrator in Bazungua, simply but eloquently.