Communities of Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal have been sensitized on how to report incidents of sexual harassment, abuse and violence against women. This happened during a radio discussion sponsored by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, having perceived the crucial role media can play in ending gender-based violence of all kinds.

“The role of media is great when it comes to fighting these alarmingly common issues by raising awareness about them. Messages about ending violence against females have been translated into local languages spoken here to maximize their reach and impact,” says Rebeca Abour, former Minister of Child Welfare and Social Development.

Abour participated in a live radio talk show to educate her community as part of the commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence.

Akol Yam, Weerbei, and Nhomlaau are the three community radio stations with the greatest reach and number of listeners in Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal State, hence making them powerful vehicles of important information.

“We are educating our communities It is necessary to eradicate violence against women,” said Joseph Adoung, who has been trained by the UN peacekeeping mission to be a youth ambassador.

“We can be informed on such matters through discussions held on different media platforms,” said 19-year-old Angelina Athieng Garang, who participated in one talk show aired by the Weerbei radio station.

The youth are optimistic that media has a role to play in breaking the silence on taboo topics like rape and other forms of sexual abuse. The same goes for sensitive issues such as early and forced marriages.

“We as young people need to understand who we are, because in our culture, girls are often considered property, kept as resources to be married off for cows. Instead of sources to bring in cows, the real priority should be for girls to go to school,” said Maria Angelo, another female participant in the discussion.

Mariama Dauda, a Civil Affairs Officer serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, highlights the importance of radio programmes to reach audiences in faraway places who may have no other chance of receiving such information.

“I think they [radio transmissions] give us another dimension when it comes to ways of spreading the word. Not everyone can attend workshops, or read written material about gender-based violence, how it can be prevented and how incidents should be reported,” said Ms. Dauda.