JUBA, South Sudan (December 10, 2018) – CARE condemns the sexual attack on 157 women and girls along roads that lead to Bentiu in Northern Liech State in the north of South Sudan, which happened on November 30. CARE calls for the perpetrators of the sexual violence to be held accountable.
“CARE puts women and girls in the heart of our programming and seeks a world of hope, tolerance and social justice where all people live with dignity,” says Rosalind Crowther, CARE’s country director in South Sudan. “We strongly condemn these horrendous attacks which gravely violate human rights. We call upon relevant authorities to take action to protect the rights and dignity of women and girls.”
In Bentiu, CARE provides critical life-saving assistance and services to survivors of gender-based violence in a confidential and ethical manner.
“This latest spate of violence is horrific and it is disheartening to see women and girls continue to bear the brunt of the conflict, as often in conflict situations,” says Crowther.
South Sudan is suffering a five-year-long civil war, despite multiple peace agreements signed by the different parties to the conflict. Civilians, particularly women and girls, bear the brunt of the ongoing violence in different parts of the country.
In South Sudan, CARE works with communities and local leaders to create awareness on the negative consequences of gender-based violence and to find lasting solutions to stop the dehumanising culture of violence against women and girls.
About CARE
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. That’s why women and girls are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve education and health, create economic opportunity, respond to emergencies and confront hunger. Last year CARE worked in 93 countries and reached more than 63 million people around the world. Learn more at care.org.
Media Contact:
Mahmoud Shabeeb, +962-79-146-39-03 mshabeeb@care.org (based in Amman, Jordan)
Nicole Harris, 404-735-0871 nharris@care.org