Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare launches GBV safe-house in Juba. (Photo: Charles Wote/Eye Radio).

The government and development partners have launched a safe house for the protection and rehabilitation of survivors of gender-based violence in Central Equatoria State.

In 2020, the national Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare proposed the establishment of three GBV safe-homes in Juba, Wau, and Malakal.

But since then, only Wau safe-house was established with funding from the US Agency for International Development through the Swiss Development Cooperation.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Juba, Aya Benjamin Warille, the Minister of Gender said will instill confidence in GBV survivors to express themselves.

“It is a place where they are protected from their perpetrators, from family harm including sexual abuse,” Aya said.

“It is also a place where survivors will be able to freely express themselves in an environment where they are confident, in an environment where they are sure all the information they give will be kept confidential.”

On his part, the Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund Dr. Ademola Olajide said the aid agency will continue working with the government to ensure the safety of women and girls in the country.

“So for us at the United Nations Population Fund, we will continue to work with a range of stakeholders under the leadership of the Ministry to ensure that not only a safe house providing the range of services that are necessary to assist survivors.”

“But we will work ultimately to ensure that every segment of society, every segment of the community, the farms, the bush, the homes are safe places for women and girls and every member of the society.”

Police welcomes safe-house

The National Police has welcomed the launch and operation of the Juba safe house for the protection of survivors of different forms of gender-based violence.

Brigadier James Dak Karlo, the Director of the Special Protection Unit of the South Sudan National Police Service, says he had no option last year but to accommodate a GBV survivor in his office for seven months due to a lack of a safe house.

He adds that it has been a challenge for the police in providing accommodation to survivors of different forms of gender-based violence.

“We are very happy and delighted because we have challenges regarding the safe house,” he said.

“We have children who are defiled, mutilated, raped, assaulted, and degraded and they go with trauma, they go with stigma, they get shocked and they live with that shock for the rest of their life.”

“So this safe house will reunite them, will assure them where they will have psycho-social counseling with social workers, where they will have a free atmosphere to give statement in regard to case penetrating their offense.”

Brigadier James Dak went on to say that his office is working with some partners to send some police officers to the neighboring countries to learn how to maintain the safe house.

Meanwhile the authorities in Western Equatoria on Monday launched the construction of a Safe House for the protection of GBV survivors in the State.

The four rooms block funded by the UN Mission in South Sudan through its Quick Impact Project is expected to cost about 50,000 US dollars.

It was launched by the State Governor Alfred Futuyo Karaba in Yambio on Monday.