EU Ambassador Sinead Walsh and Alison Blackburne, UK Ambassador -both speaking on Eye Radio during the International Women Day, 2019.

The UK ambassador to South Sudan has described the levels of sexual and gender-based violence in South Sudan as horrific.

Alison Blackburne spoke this on Eye Radio recently alongside EU ambassador to South Sudan, Sinead Walsh.

About mid last year, UN rights monitor recorded the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, with at least 120 women and girls raped or gang-raped, including children as young as four in former Unity State a one.

Many such a crime have also been reported recently.

The human rights monitors say these acts constitute gross violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law – that may amount to war crimes.

“The women and girls in South Sudan face horrific levels of sexual and gender-based violence which the EU and the broader international community, and many people in South Sudan are very concerned about.” Ms. Alison said.

Meanwhile, the European Union ambassador to South Sudan, Walsh has said women and girls in South Sudan are faced with high rate of maternal mortality.

Ms. Walsh attributes this to the poor health systems in the country.

“Health care is very challenging. You know South Sudan has some of the highest rates of maternal mortality,” she said.

Maternal mortality is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.

Sinead Walsh said the EU is providing services to women and girls to help reduce cases of maternal mortality in South Sudan.

“In our centers we have set up childcare facilities so that young women and mothers can sort of have their children look after.”
South Sudan is being ranked among the countries with highest rate of maternal mortality.