As she prepared to give birth to her first child at Melikia Hospital in Juba in June 2020, Mama Keji faced a dilemma that left her terrified.
The only health worker available to assist her was a man.
“Because of that fear, I refused him to touch my body,” she recalled.
The decision could have endangered both her life and that of her baby.
Six years later, Keji says the experience reflects a broader reality for many women in South Sudan, where fear, stigma and deeply rooted social norms often discourage women from speaking openly about their experiences.
If discussing childbirth with a male health worker was difficult, she asks, how much harder is it for women to describe rape, sexual assault or domestic abuse before a room full of men?
“A woman knows how a woman feels,” she said. “But a man will not know how a woman feels.”
Across South Sudan, women continue to face widespread gender inequality, while many cases of violence never reach police stations, hospitals or courts. Instead, they remain hidden within families and communities.
For generations, many women have been taught that family problems should stay within the home.
“My grandmother used to say whenever you have issues, they have to remain inside,” Keji said.
The message, she said, was clear: endure hardship, remain silent and protect the family’s reputation.
Women’s rights advocates say such attitudes contribute to the underreporting of gender-based violence.
Women who experience abuse often fear being blamed, shamed or abandoned if they report it. Others worry about losing financial support from husbands who control household income.
“If you are not working, you depend on your husband,” Keji said. “You fear if I stand up to him, he will never help me financially.”
In rural communities, poverty presents another obstacle. Seeking justice may require transportation to a police station, health facility or court, costs that many families struggling to meet basic needs cannot afford.
“You go to the hospital for treatment. All those things need money,” she said.
Some women remain in abusive relationships because leaving can carry severe social consequences.
Keji recalled meeting a young woman while working in Terekeka who frequently complained that her husband beat her.
When asked why she did not leave, the woman cited a traditional practice that she feared would subject her to public humiliation.
“In our tradition, if you want to leave a man, they have to strip you naked,” the woman told her. “Everybody has to see you naked.”
The fear of such treatment kept her from leaving, Keji said.
Customary Justice
For many women, the barriers do not end when they decide to seek help.
Across much of South Sudan, traditional leaders remain the first point of contact for resolving disputes involving marriage, family matters, land and domestic violence.
Lawyer Marilyn Remijous said chiefs continue to play a central role in access to justice.
“Knowing that 80% of the disputes in our communities are solved by chiefs and not by formal courts, I think the chiefs play a very big role in supporting women to access justice,” she said.
At the same time, she said, customary systems can reflect social norms that disadvantage women.
“The customs themselves are biased towards women,” Remijous said.
As a result, women often find themselves seeking justice through institutions shaped by traditions that do not always align with constitutional guarantees of equality.
Community leader Okedi Edward Libala, who hears disputes involving marriage, divorce and domestic violence in Sirikat, said many women never report abuse at all.
“Ignorance is so much,” he said. “Some of them, once they are victimized, they just remain.”
Others fear public exposure.
“Many rape cases are just denied within the family level,” he said. “They say if you report it, it will be known.”
The silence surrounding violence means many survivors never receive medical treatment, counselling or legal assistance, while the true scale of abuse remains difficult to measure.
Absent from decision-making
Even when women pursue justice, they often encounter another challenge: limited representation within the institutions meant to serve them.
Although South Sudan’s laws and peace agreements call for greater participation of women in public institutions, many customary courts remain overwhelmingly male.
Several chiefs interviewed for this story said women are increasingly present in local courts but are often excluded from decision-making.
One chief described a system in which female representatives are expected to perform administrative duties while men deliberate and issue rulings.
“The women are there, but they are not decision-makers,” he said.
The gap highlights the difference between legal commitments and everyday practice.
On paper, women have the right to representation. In practice, many remain sidelined.
For Keji, that has direct consequences.
“You cannot start opening up to a male judge that I was assaulted,” she said.
Court proceedings often require survivors to recount intimate and traumatic experiences in detail. Many women, she said, feel uncomfortable doing so before male authority figures.
“When you talk woman to woman, it is easier to open up.”
Libala said female representatives in his community participate in court proceedings and help handle cases involving women.
“If you talk to a co-woman, sometimes she understands compared to when the man is judging things,” he said.
Women’s rights advocates argue that increasing female participation in local justice systems is not simply a matter of representation but a prerequisite for meaningful access to justice.
According to Josephine Chandiru, executive director of Global Voices Organisation, many women remain unaware of rights already guaranteed under South Sudanese law.
She cited land ownership as one example.
Many women do not know they have the legal right to acquire, own and control land.
“The notion that women are property in South Sudan makes them think that when they acquire land, how can they acquire land when they are property themselves?” Chandiru said.
Remijous said customary justice systems and formal law should complement rather than compete with each other.
“If a chief knows what human rights are or what the rights of a woman are in the constitution, there’s no way he’ll be influenced or be biased,” she said.
“The decision he would make would be gender-sensitive and also promote equality between men and women.”
Breaking the Silence
Rights advocates say the challenges facing South Sudanese women extend beyond legal reform.
They are rooted in social norms, economic dependence and cultural expectations that often discourage women from speaking out.
For generations, many women have been taught that endurance is a virtue and silence an obligation. Poverty continues to leave many dependent on abusive partners, while social pressure discourages reporting violence.
At the same time, institutions tasked with delivering justice often remain dominated by men.
For Keji, meaningful change begins with ensuring women are not only present within the justice system but are also heard.
Because justice, she said, is not simply about having courts.
It is about whether those seeking help feel safe enough to speak.
For too long, many South Sudanese women have suffered in silence.
and then