{"id":39847,"date":"2025-09-18T13:48:31","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T11:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=39847"},"modified":"2025-09-18T13:48:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T11:48:31","slug":"judges-engaged-in-a-specialized-training-to-combat-gender-based-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/18\/judges-engaged-in-a-specialized-training-to-combat-gender-based-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"Judges engaged in a specialized training to combat gender-based violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Alan Clement<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Judges and magistrates across South Sudan have convened for a specialized training on gender-based violence (GBV), sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), with a strong focus on transitional justice.<\/p>\n

The three-day workshop, organized by the Center for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice with support from Norwegian People\u2019s Aid and the government of Norway, is aimed at strengthening judicial capacity to prosecute and adjudicate GBV cases while prioritizing survivors\u2019 rights and dignity.<\/p>\n

The training themed \u201cA Survivor-Centered Approach to Transitional Justice: Nothing for Survivors Without the Survivors,\u201d is intended to equip judicial officers with practical tools for managing GBV cases, including documentation, psychological support systems, and survivor-sensitive case handling as well as integrating transitional justice mechanisms outlined in Chapter Five of the Revitalized Peace Agreement.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the opening of the training, Sheila B. Keetharuth, UNMISS Senior Women\u2019s Protection Adviser, emphasized the importance of trauma-informed judicial processes. \u201cSurvivors of wartime sexual violence continue to face stigma, trauma, and barriers to justice. Courts must adopt a survivor-centered approach,\u201d she said, referencing UN-developed model legislative provisions and a CRSV Prevention Framework as critical guides for prosecutions and protection of victims, including children born of rape.<\/p>\n

Justice William Kaya Pacifico, Director of Training in the Judiciary of South Sudan, acknowledged delays in organizing the workshop due to recent judicial deployments but reaffirmed the judiciary\u2019s commitment to reform. \u201cThe new leadership is very keen on training judges. We are developing a national training policy, endorsed by the Chief Justice, to ensure justice reaches beyond Juba,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cJustice is not only for Juba, and that is why we are bringing judges from different areas of South Sudan, so that we have GBV courts in every state,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Speaking on behalf of Chief Justice and President of the Supreme court, Benjamin Bak Deng, Justice Stephen Simon Benjingwa, Director of Land Registry in the Judiciary of South Sudan, stressed the need for continuous education among judicial officers. \u201cJudges must learn constantly. GBV is a serious issue across the country, and we must be prepared to address it professionally,\u201d he said and urged judges to uphold constitutional values and improve their proficiency in English, the country\u2019s official language.<\/p>\n

\u201cGBV issues are very serious and are found across the country. Judges have to continuously learn because new crimes are coming up. The judiciary has a plan now to open one of the GBV courts in Wau to address more than 100 backlog cases,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the press, Michael Gorjian Kuol, Project Coordinator for Norwegian People\u2019s Aid South Sudan, said the training would enhance judicial responsiveness. \u201cThis customized training empowers judges to respond holistically to GBV cases. We expect them to share this knowledge with colleagues in their respective states,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

Jackline Nasiwa, Executive Director of the Center for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice, highlighted the urgency of survivor-centered justice. \u201cAccess to justice is a key demand from survivors. This training equips judges to understand the trauma survivors endure and make decisions that deliver justice,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also linked the training to South Sudan\u2019s transitional justice commitments under the peace agreement and also called for domestic prosecution of conflict-related sexual violence, labeling it a war crime.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost survivors demand access to justice. This training is critical because judges are the ones who will decide the fate of survivors. Strengthening judicial responses will reduce impunity, deter violations, and ensure domestic courts can also handle international crimes such as conflict-related sexual violence,\u201d she emphasized.<\/p>\n

Participants are expected to gain practical tools for case management, psychological support systems, and survivor protection. Organizers stressed that empowering judges with these skills will help restore dignity to survivors while strengthening the rule of law in South Sudan.<\/p>\n

The workshop is part of a broader strategy to decentralize GBV courts and ensure that survivors across South Sudan have access to justice. As South Sudan continues to grapple with conflict and widespread gender-based violence, judicial reform and survivor protection remain critical pillars in the country\u2019s pursuit of peace and justice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alan Clement Judges and magistrates across South Sudan have convened for a specialized training on gender-based violence (GBV), sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), with a strong focus on transitional justice. The three-day workshop, organized by the Center for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice with[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":39848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Judges.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39847"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39849,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39847\/revisions\/39849"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}