Building housing Gender-based violence court, and Juvenile court in Juba - Credit | Koang Pal Chang/Eye Radio | March 2022

The Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Court in Juba has sentenced a man to 17 years in prison for raping and forcing a 16-year-old girl to have an abortion against her consent in 2022, leaving the victim with serious bodily harm.

The court sitting on Monday found Akot Chan Arop guilty of violating the young girl rights under Articles 247 (Rape) and 217 (Causing Miscarriage) of the South Sudan Penal Code of 2008.

The convict was ordered to pay 129,000 US dollars as compensation to cover medical treatment in Egypt, Sudan and Uganda.

“The court issued its final ruling in this case. The court sentenced the accused under section 247 for sexual assault to 7 years and section 217 for abortion to 10 years,” said the victim’s lawyer, Saber Ali Lado, after presiding Judge Andrew Joshua Lado passed the verdict.

The GBV Court commenced the trial of Chan in September 2024 after he was accused of raping and forcing the minor to have an abortion.

The court proceedings focused on the details surrounding the assault, the survivor’s condition, and the appropriate legal actions.

According to the investigator’s report, the incident took place in Kampala in November 2022, when the survivor alleged that Arop, sexually abused her, resulting in pregnancy.

The survivor stated that Arop took her to a clinic for a medical consultation, after which she was given medication.

She reported experiencing bleeding afterwards, which led to a miscarriage.

A doctor assigned by the prosecution to examine the survivor, confirmed that she had indeed miscarried, suffered from uterine complications, and developed infections.

 “The convict will begin serving the 17-year sentence from today. The court ordered the convict to pay $129,000 in compensation to the victim to cover treatment expenses in Egypt, Sudan and Uganda. The court gave the parties two weeks to appeal the decision.”