UN International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict - Rights For Peace talks to Radio Miraya

Mariana Goetz
Jun 30
3 min read

June 19, 2025

“Sexual violence in conflict is a tactic of war and a threat to international peace and security.”– UN Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008)

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, established in response to UN Security Council Resolution 1820, Veronica Igale Monoja, Advocacy Coordinator at Rights for Peace spoke on Radio Miraya about the scale of the crisis in South Sudan.

While this landmark resolution recognized rape and other forms of sexual violence as deliberate weapons of war in 2008, the scale of the problem affecting women and girls but also men and boys is still shrouded in shame and stigma. There is an urgent need for more awareness, support, accountability and reparation for survivors.

“The Survivors Network South Sudan is currently supporting more than 3,200 survivors across six locations in the country.”

Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) devastates lives, tears apart communities, and destroys trust in institutions meant to protect civilians. It is used to subjugate and destroy communities, perpetuating cycles of trauma. The resolution calls for an end to impunity and meaningful support for survivors, who often live with the consequences long after the conflict fades from the headlines.

In South Sudan, despite the 2018 Peace Agreement, CRSV remains pervasive. Local monitors report that sexual violence is used in cycles of revenge killings and intercommunal violence.

“Sexual violence continues to be used as a cruel tactic of war, torture, and terror. It is also an intolerable attempt to silence and subjugate women and girls.” – Pramila Patten, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict

Sexual violence does not only affect women and girls, it also is committed against men and boys with significant impacts, including in South Sudan. Sexual violence against men is common in detention settings, but not exclusively - it is used to humiliate, punish, and destroy perceived enemy communities, crushing men's sense of masculinity.

Stigma and silence

Survivors are often abandoned by partners and families, face lifelong trauma, with negligible support or access to health care or justice.

“Stigma silences survivors… and the harm often extends to their children—many born of rape—who grow up without identity or community acceptance.” – Rights for Peace, Radio Miraya

The challenges are compounded by a lack of services and a culture of blame and shame. Rights for Peace emphasises that community leaders and civil society have a powerful role to play: by raising awareness, challenging harmful norms, and ensuring survivors are met with compassion, not blame. Sexual violence not only affects women and girls, it is also committed against men and boys with life-lasting impacts.

A message of hope

Despite the challenges, there are real stories of resilience. Through the SEAR project, "Supporting Survivors’ Empowerment through Advocacy and Reparative Measures," funded by the Global Survivors Fund (GSF) through a Consortium of partners that Rights for Peace is part of, 400 survivors in two locations have received medical care, trauma support and livelihood assistance. This project is now entering its second phase. As put by GSF, transformative reparative measures are feasible, affordable and urgent.

A call to young people

The interview closed with a message to youth and future leaders:

“Be a voice for justice. Challenge stigma. Support survivors. Help build communities where sexual violence is never tolerated and justice is real.”– Veronica Igale Monoja, Rights for Peace, Radio Miraya

Our advocacy and technical support is implemented as part of the Global Survivors Fund project “Supporting Survivors’ Empowerment through Advocacy and Interim Reparative Measures.”