A judge has encouraged women to have faith in the legal systems and seek justice for all forms of Gender-based violence.

Ajok Tito Telar, who is a second-grade judge at the County court stated that women should report the vice to the police then open a court case against perpetrators.

Survivors of Gender-Based Violence often say the police do not help them after the matter is reported.

They say in some cases, some police officers question the accuracy of their testimonies.

This, they believe, is the reason why some survivors of GBV do not come forward to demand justice.

Judge Ajok asked survivors not to give up despite the demotivation from society.

She was speaking to Eye Radio in Juba during the celebrations of International Women’s Day.

“The problem is not in the court, but with society in many cases, women are beaten and deprived of expenses for themselves and their children,” Judge Ajok told Eye Radio.

“She may reach the point of not being able to stand it, but she can’t file for divorce why because the family will not accept to return the dowry that the husband paid after they divided it among them. Also, some women believe that society views the divorced woman as a bad woman.

“My message to women is that you do not bear the suffering, such as beating and deprivation, go to court And ask for a divorce. It is not a defect. You can bear some things for the little one. But not to reach the stage of beating. Some men threaten their wives with weapons.”

Although there is no accurate data on gender-based violence in South Sudan, UNFPA records show physical assault accounts for 39 percent, followed by psychological/emotional abuse with 21 percent, and sexual violence with 21 percent of the reported cases as recorded from January 1 to September 30, 2020.

Sexual and gender-based violence refers to any act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and is based on gender norms and unequal power relationships.

The International Women’s Day was marked this year under the theme: “Break the bias, imagine a gender-equal world, a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.