Gender-based violence court building in Juba - Credit | Eye Radio/Koang Pal Chang | March 2022

JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) —Several judges from across the country have highlighted the significant challenges they face in handling gender-related cases, citing a lack of public awareness, cultural barriers, and limited resources.

Speaking at the close of a three-day capacity-building workshop in Juba, the judges noted that these challenges often lead to communities preferring to resolve disputes through customary practices rather than formal courts.

Key obstacles include traditional customs that conflict with formal law, language barriers, and a lack of proper court infrastructure.

A judge from the Pibor Administrative Area gave a specific example of the conflict between law and custom.

“Most of the cases I have come across are kidnappings, and kidnapping is a crime according to the law, but in the Dinka tribe, it is a type of second marriage,” the judge said.

“According to the law, there is a marriage age, but in the Dinka tribe, there is no age for marriage. The girl is married at a young age, and this was a challenge for me in separating the law from custom.”

The judge added that they face other challenges, such as the language barrier, noting, “We studied in Arabic, and now I am thinking of converting our work to English, so we need courses to strengthen the language.”

The judges, who came from Upper Nile and Western Bahr el Ghazal states and the Pibor Administrative Area, said they also face an acute lack of staff and proper facilities in their courts.

The workshop, which addressed these issues, was organized by the Centre for Inclusive Governance, Peace, and Justice (CIGPJ) with support from Norwegian People’s Aid.