The UNMISS Human Rights Division in collaboration with the Jonglei State Ministry of Education, Gender and Social welfare concluded a workshop on the elimination of sexual violence in conflict.

About 26 participants most of them women as well as members of the armed forces attended the awareness workshop yesterday at the Central Star hotel in Bor town.

The aims of the gathering were to create educated awareness and sensitization among armed forces with respect to women and girls in conflict situations, and to equip women and girls with preventive measures when faced with crimes of rape and sexual harassment.

Susan Lith Aluong, Jonglei State Minister of Education, Gender and Social Welfare, said the workshop was an important occasion to create awareness on the dangers of sexual violence and to help the women and girls.

“This workshop is very important because it give us awareness on how to prevent people from sexual violence in conflict zones, so we are giving awareness to women, youths, armed forces and people from the church,” she told the participants.

A Minister added that “strong people like men forced weak women and girls to have sex against their will as a tactic of war, this is humiliating.”

At the end of the workshop the participants recommended that the UNMISS and the Gender Ministry extend awareness workshops to communities in rural areas so the women and girls know how to prevent and defend themselves against sexual crimes.