BENTIU, UNITY STATE – “Your problem is my problem. You are safe with me.” That is what Diddi Gai Tai tells people who come to her for counselling at a court in Bentiu.
She looks them in the eye and says gently. “I see you are isolated, but I am here to help you, if you will let me.”
Sometimes, that is enough to start a conversation.
Diddi is a young psychosocial counsellor working with people whose cases were heard at a Unity State High Court in the Bentiu camp for displaced families. The court handled cases including sexual and gender-based violence, drug use and gang-related offences.
Supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the court is part of a wider effort to strengthen access to formal justice in Unity State, where years of conflict have left many communities with limited avenues to seek redress.
For survivors of violence, however, getting through the doors of a courtroom can be difficult. Diddi’s job is to help them feel safe enough to speak.
“I tell them they are safe with me, that whatever happened to them is not their fault,” she says.
She completed an 18-month course in psychosocial counselling in Juba and describes herself as a “trauma healer”, trained to recognize signs that someone may be struggling, even when they are not ready to talk about what happened.
The work can be difficult and affects her on a personal level.
“The rape cases are the hardest to deal with. Sometimes they scare me a lot, and I ask myself, am I going to experience the same thing?”
Her work is not limited to sexual and gender-based violence survivors. She also counsels young people affected by drugs, gangs and crime.
She remembers one boy she counselled last year who described himself as a professional thief. Diddi spoke with him about the risks and consequences of crime. Later, she saw him return to school.
For UNMISS’ Rule of Law Director, Anees Ahmed, helping survivors is an essential part of the justice process.
“Providing accountability for crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice is but one half of the process. Ensuring dignity for victims and enabling survivors to rebuild their lives and regain their confidence is the correct measure that justice has prevailed.”
For many women, the barriers to justice extend to social and cultural practices that sometimes conflict with rights guaranteed under South Sudanese law.
“In my culture, women have no rights,” says Diddi.
She describes how disputes over bride price can continue to affect women after divorce, and how violence against women can sometimes be treated as normal.
But she believes that can change.
“The law of South Sudan says that you have a right to live freely.”
Her father, a doctor, shares that belief. He supported Diddi’s education and encouraged her to pursue counselling, even when some people in her community questioned her work.
For Diddi, helping people through difficult moments is now her life’s work.
She sees justice as more than a verdict. It is also about someone feeling confident enough to speak out and know someone is listening.
Sometimes, that process starts with a counsellor simply saying: you are safe with me.
By Robin Giri
