Gender-based violence (GBV) is one of the most serious threats to the protection and wellbeing of children and women in South Sudan. Local communities consistently cite sexual violence as the greatest protection concern for women and girls. According to aUNICEF briefing note, 2019: almost 65 per cent of women and girls have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, and some 51 per cent have suffered intimate partner violence (IPV). Some 33 per cent of women have experienced sexual violence from a non-partner, primarily during attacks or raids. The majority of girls and women experience sexual violence for the first time under the age of 18. Children comprise around 25 per cent of all reported cases of conflict-related sexual violence, though there are concerns numbers may be much higher.

Tackling violence against women and girls is critical to achieving sustainable peace in South Sudan. Therefore, SSGID continues to focus on GBV risk mitigation and prevention efforts across all its programmes and through capacity building and implementing action plans. Some of the recent programmes in this area are aimed at reducing domestic violence and conflict related violence against women and children in the communities. These include:

• Creating awareness on Children rights
• Psychosocial counselling
• Promoting Child rights
• Girl Child Education
• Child Soldiers demobilization
• Awareness on Child abuse
• Education
• Land mine awareness
• Local crime awareness
• Advocacy on mental support