Some survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in South Sudan are condemned and rejected by their families, and the country’s Council of Churches (SSCC) wants this stigmatization of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence to end.

As the world marked the International Day for the Elimination of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, an audience at the Malakal Stadium were sitting in quiet reflection as they listened to the words spoken by 22-year-old Julia John.

There is a new push to put an end to the spectre of conflict-related sexual violence in South Sudan, with a new form of engagement between civil society and the military.