Police in Tambura lament lack of department to handle cases of gender-based violence

unmiss unpol tambura western equatoria yambio assessment patrol donations sexual and gender-based violence

Police in Tambura, Western Equatoria, inform UN counterparts about their precarious working conditions.

27 Dec 2019

Police in Tambura lament lack of department to handle cases of gender-based violence

Felix Katie

Lack of a desk to investigate incidents of sexual and other gender-based violence at the Tambura police department is creating difficulties in curbing these crimes, which are reported to be common in the area.

This concern was shared by the acting police commissioner Brigadier General Jonathan Jabir Seid, when the UN Mission in South Sudan team visited Tambura on an assessment patrol.

 “Issues of gender-based violence are really major here. On an average day we receive five or six cases,” he said, adding that attempts to establish a team dedicated to handle these cases, in cooperation with the Ministry of Gender, have so far failed

According to the acting police commissioner, his department has no means of mobility to encounter and investigate not only the numerous cases of gender-based violence issues but other crimes as well.

During the patrol, UN police advisors serving with the peacekeeping mission donated copies of some forms needed to document crimes to their South Sudanese counterparts in Tambura, Ezo and Mupoi counties. They also handed over a variety of stationary items.