As the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence comes to an end, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Wednesday reminded parties to the conflict raging on in South Sudan about the need to respect international humanitarian law (IHL), including the prohibition on sexual violence.
A press statement extended to Radio Tamazuj quoted ICRC Head of Delegation in South Sudan, Daniel Bunnskog, saying this year’s campaign has ended, but the struggle to end sexual and gender-based violence must continue.
“Sexual violence committed in connection with an armed conflict is not only a war crime, but it also breaks communities apart by causing stigma and harm over multiple generations,” he added.
According to the statement, this year, the ICRC’s 16 Days campaign was structured around the theme of prevention of sexual violence in conflict.
“Over a decade of conflict and intercommunal violence in South Sudan has led to the normalization of sexual violence among weapon-bearers as well as among civilians,” the ICRC statement reads in part.
The existence of very few safe and accessible services in conflict-affected areas further complicates access of survivors to life-saving care.
“Parties to a conflict have a duty to assist victims/survivors who might need medical care,” said the ICRC Head of Delegation.
“The ICRC aims to contribute to prevent, reduce, and respond to sexual violence by working with parties to the conflict, communities in conflict-affected areas, as well as victims/survivors,” the statement said. “In 2025, we trained over 600 weapon bearers and over 500 community influencers on how to address sexual violence, as South Sudan Red Cross volunteers reached over 27,000 people with key messages on sexual violence.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial, and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.