The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Wednesday commenced a three-day training workshop in Aweil town of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, aiming to widen the understating of the prisons service officers on the existing laws, human rights values, including child protection, ethics and responsibilities.  

The Director of Prisons Service in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Major General Valentino Wol Kon, talked to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday and said the workshop was meant to improve the lives of detainees as well as officers and noncommissioned officers.

“This training is so beneficial because it makes people aware of improving the lives of the detainee to avoid crimes when they are freed to go back to their communities. The training also empowers our prisons service officers and noncommissioned officers NCOs,” said Gen. Wol.

Some officers also said they wished for more progress, awareness on issues to do with human rights, dispute resolution, increased manpower and training of officers, among others. 

Second Lieutenant Alek Ather has commended the UN mission for offering such an opportunity, and she wishes the realization of more progress at local prisons across the State. She said, “I appreciate that every time we are given certificates for attending workshops that for our progress and development, we must be straightforward and avoid corruption. And that we must give our superiors their due respect and responsibility in the office,” Ather explained.

Captain Deng Garang, who represents the Aweil East County Prison unit, said there were a lot of challenges that needed to be addressed through the capacity-building event.  Human rights challenges, poor standard of the prisons, low manpower and training of the personnel. 

“We have a lot of things to understand in this workshop; we have challenges of human rights, lack of standard prisons in the state, manpower and training.”