South Sudan: Using sports and arts to combat sexual and gender-based violence

In 2024, the ICRC, in partnership with the South Sudanese Red Cross Society (SSRC), organized awareness-raising sessions on sexual and gender-based violence to more than 5,000 community members in nine locations across the country, including Lainya. 

The organization also provided direct support to approximately 36 survivors of sexual violence – offering mental health relief, cash assistance, and training for 37 medical staff from health facilities in Upper Nile and Central Equatoria on the clinical management of rape.
 

Treatment within the first 72 hours

On the football pitch, surrounded by mango trees, the referee blows the whistles to announce half-time. The players take a short break, and the energy of the match fades into murmured conversations. Nearby, two women are deep in discussion. One, a health worker, explains the urgency of treatment: "Every victim of sexual violence should receive medical care within the first 72 hours of an assault."

James Juma, a radio journalist listening in, agrees. “There is not enough awareness about this. We need to amplify these messages through our radio stations,” he says.