Domestic violence still common in South Sudan

About three weeks ago, a mother and her two-weeks-old baby were dragged out of their house at gun point. The domestic issue occurred in the early evening in Hai-Mauna, one of Juba’s residential areas.

My husband has thrown me out of the house with my kids.”According to the woman non-uniformed armed men, hired by her husband, flogged her the moment she was out of the house. My husband has thrown me out of the house with my kids because he has a new wife. This has been his habit, chasing women out of the house, whenever he gets a new wife,” the woman says.

Her drama is no exception in South Sudan and the awareness that women have suffered the brunt of society’s ills is nothing new. It was the leader of South Sudan’s freedom struggle, the late Dr. John Garang, who famously referred to South Sudanese women as the marginalised of the marginalised people”.

The woman, together with her baby and two other children, sought shelter nearby their old house. Good samaritans ran to her rescue and brought their belongings that were thrown out of the house as well.

Her husband, a government official, drove off with the armed men leaving behind his wife and his children.

An eye witness says the arms scared the neighbours who wanted to help the woman as the armed men were beating her. We wanted him to calm down so that we talk to both of them,” says a neighbour.

I tried complaining to my parents but they could not help me out.”The woman has been married for seven years. Her marriage was damaging in many ways. I tried complaining to my parents but they could not help me out. When I approached Munuki Police station, the police authorities advised me to settle the issues with relatives,” she explains.

Lilian Riziq, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the South Sudan Women Empowerment Network, says it is unfortunate that South Sudan does not have family laws that protect women”. The women are always referred to the customary courts, which are normally biased against them” when it comes to domestic violence.

A concerned citizen, who termed the behaviour of the husband as a human rights violation, urged men to behave humanly with their wives and children. We are supposed to protect women but not to abuse them nor intimidate them when they say something. Why should armed men involve themselves in domestic issues,” he asks.
 
South Sudan Police Spokesman, Major General Biar Mading Biar, says women have the legal right to be treated with respect and dignity. For this reason the police has set up a department to investigate cases related to crimes against women.

Because of the armed men’s involvement in this domestic issue, the spokesman says investigations shall be carried out to establish the identity the perpetrators”, to later launch a case against them. As police we are not given the right to abuse civilians but to protect and respect them.” He as well called upon the women to claim their rights through legal means in case of any aggression against them.

Efforts to get a statement from the husband pertaining to this issue were futile, as he hanged up upon hearing the theme of the interview.

The woman was forced into this marriage by her parents when she was twenty-five years old. She urges parents to never go against their children’s choice, and to put their daughters’ happiness before the dowry.

They may be having money but without love.”She advices young girls to never get married to men who have divorced their wives. This has proven to me that such men have bad behaviours and a tendency of abandoning their first partners. They may be having money but without love,” she says as tears streamed down her cheeks.

In South Sudan some communities still consider girls as assets to gain advantage from. Some parents judge the qualities of a marriageable man based on his wealth. The heads of cattle and the exorbitant amounts of money paid as dowry have made parents trade in their daughters for money.

Lona James Elia, the Executive Director of Voice for Change, a civil society association advocating for the rights of women in South Sudan, explains that there is a need to educate parents about the rights of their children.

Read also: Homework for a new nation [part 3]: Stop the gender war on women and promote their rights insteadParents should respect the choice of their daughters when it comes to lasting decisions such as marriage. Elia says there is a need to engage the traditional chiefs and community leaders. We do not want to be confrontational but rather hold dialogues and educate them about the laws in order to change the society. Even the existing laws that have been enacted are never implemented,” she adds.

Elia further demands that the husband must step down from his official post, as this violent act prooves that he he cannot hold the responsibilities he signed up for.

Duku Champlian Alison, a human rights activist, condemns this tragedy saying that it shall be investigated, tried in the court of law and if proven guilty, the husband shall face justice”.

But while waiting for the wheels of justice to roll, the woman’s near future remains bleak. With no tangible financial support, the mother’s only hope is that her husband will hear her plea, and at least partially take care of his responsibilities -- his children, whom this tragedy has surely scarred for life.