By Alan Clement
The European Union has urged South Sudan’s government to fast-track gender-based violence legislation and increase funding for health and education, warning weak protections and minimal public spending continue to endanger women and girls.
Speaking on the eve of the commemoration of International Women’s Day in Juba, the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to South Sudan, Lothar Jaschke, said stronger laws and sustained public investment are essential to protect women and advance gender equality in the country.
Addressing participants at an event held at the Nyakuron Cultural Centre, Jaschke said sexual and gender-based violence remains widespread and often goes unreported, particularly when perpetrators are linked to armed groups or authorities.
“Sexual violence remains systematically unreported, particularly where perpetrators are associated with armed actors or state authorities,” he said, warning that such barriers contribute to “the normalization of sexual violence.”
Jaschke added that sexual violence has become a persistent feature of conflict in South Sudan and in many cases is used deliberately as a tool of power.
“We know that sexual violence against women and girls is a persistent feature of conflict in South Sudan. It became a method of warfare and a mechanism for exercising power,” he said.
The EU official urged the government to accelerate work on long-delayed legislation intended to combat gender-based violence and strengthen accountability mechanisms.
“We encourage the government to accelerate work on a bill countering gender-based violence,” Jaschke said, expressing hope the proposed law would help address impunity and implement long-promised reforms.
South Sudan has committed to several international and regional frameworks aimed at protecting women’s rights, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Maputo Protocol. However, the domestication and implementation of these commitments remain incomplete.
Jaschke also highlighted the importance of implementing the global Women, Peace and Security agenda, which promotes women’s participation in peacebuilding and political processes.
“The UK and the EU co-chair the Women, Peace and Security Working Group with the objective to promote women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in peacebuilding, security and political processes and address gender-based violence,” he said.
Beyond legal reforms, the EU warned that insufficient public funding for basic services is undermining efforts to improve the wellbeing of women and girls.
Jaschke criticized what he described as extremely low government investment in health and education, noting that the country allocates only a fraction of its national budget to these critical sectors.
“0.4 percent of budgetary allocation for the health of the whole country is very, very low and far away from international standards,” he said.
He added that the same concerns apply to education spending, stressing that heavy reliance on international donors to fund basic services is not sustainable in the long term. “Most of the funding is provided by donors. This is not sustainable,” Jaschke said.
The EU official also noted that the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare remains chronically under-resourced despite its central role in addressing gender inequality and supporting survivors of violence. “More financial resources should be directed to address entrenched gender inequality,” he said.
“Transparent and sustained funding for services and programs would enable survivor recovery and support women’s full participation in political and economic life,” added the Deputy Head of the EU.
Despite these challenges, Jaschke highlighted several initiatives supported by the European Union aimed at addressing gender-based violence and improving access to support services for survivors.
Through EU-backed programs, more than 11,000 people have received psychosocial and mental health support, while hundreds of local officials and professionals have been trained in responding to cases of gender-based violence.
According to the EU Delegation, 385 local authorities and 702 professionals have received training on gender-based violence, mental health and legal responses. In addition, more than 176,000 people have been reached through community awareness campaigns aimed at challenging harmful gender norms.
Jaschke said these programs are part of the EU’s broader commitment to promoting gender equality worldwide, including through the implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan III, which seeks to ensure that the majority of EU external actions contribute to gender equality.
However, he stressed that lasting progress ultimately depends on strong political commitment from national authorities. “Women and girls should thrive and should have rights; rights to protection, rights to education and rights to health services,” Jaschke said.
“But the ongoing violence puts this in danger, as does the lack of public funding for basic services,” he added.
He added that empowering women across political, economic and security sectors would help strengthen peace and stability in South Sudan. “I am fully convinced that South Sudan needs many more empowered women in politics, in the private sector and in the security forces,” Jaschke said.
“I am convinced that our world would look much better and peaceful if there were more women in leading positions,” Jaschke continued.
The remarks come as South Sudan commemorates a global observance day dedicated to promoting gender equality and highlighting the challenges faced by women and girls.