25 November 2013 - A four-year old girl suffering from fistula signaled the graveness of ongoing gender-based violence in South Sudan, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative said in Juba today.

“This child cannot have been pregnant. What then could have caused the condition ?” Dr. Barnabas Yisa asked during celebrations to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. “If you cannot make the life of a woman better than you found it, leave it alone.”

(Obstetric fistula is caused by childbirth and traumatic fistula by rape or sexual violence. The conditions affect many of the same body systems, leaving women and girls leaking urine or faeces or both.)

Explaining that the child had been discovered during a treatment campaign for fistula patients organized by UNFPA and the Ministry of Health in the last four weeks, Dr. Yisa said gender-based violence was destroying lives.

“When we say that a woman’s rights should be respected, it is not a request – it is a demand,” he emphasized.

Also speaking at the event, which launched 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, South Sudanese Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro said activities over the next two weeks would highlight historical issues of violence that continued in the country.

“Statistics suggest that a fifth of all women in South Sudan have been victims of gender-based violence and 79 per cent of men believe it justifiable for them to beat women,” he said. “As a government, we say firmly that this is unacceptable. Stop it and do so now.”

Mr. Lomuro said he hoped the new constitution would reaffirm equality, equity and prosperity for women, including the right to education, which would play an essential role as the foundation for a violence-free society.

“Women have been able to transcend their sorrow and find the courage to build themselves after the war,” said Sarah Ajith James, chairperson of the South Sudan Women’s General Association. “Their contribution (to independence) must be recognized and their needs and efforts … supported.”

Ms. James called for psychological counselling and support for victims of violence and recommended that a truth and reconciliation commission be set up to deal with cases that went unreported or addressed.

“No one has been held accountable for enormous crimes against women and girls,” she said. “Not only is it the right thing to do, but all post-conflict societies need the strength of their women in reconstruction. They keep a measure of stability and hold families together.”

Noting that there would be a range of activities across the country until 10 December, Ms. James said it was vital to promote peace as a daily practice instilled in citizens from childhood.