File: Women at Rejaf Training Centre on Tuesday, ‎February ‎11, ‎2020. Woja Emmanuel/Eye Radio.

A civil society organization is calling for urgent investigations into reports of rape at the police and military training centers across the country.

Last week, some female police trainees at Rejaf Training Center, near Juba, complained that they were raped by their colleagues.

Nearly 7,000 forces are being trained at the Rejaf as part of unified forces of the Transitional National Government of Unity.

They include both government and opposition forces.

During a visit to center on Friday by the Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, the female trainees raised concerns about their general safety.

Some say they are raped while on assignments, including when collecting firewood.

In a statement seen by Eye Radio today, activists condemned the act against female security trainees and called for urgent action from the coalition government.

“The reported should be taken seriously -especially by the presidency and the leadership of the Joint Transitional Security Committee, Joint Defense Board and the Joint Military Ceasefire Commission,” it partially read.

The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization requests for the formation of an investigation committee to ensure perpetrators of such violence against female police trainees are held responsible.

It said those suspected to have committed the criminal acts should be immediately discontinued from the training.

According to Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of CEPO, the act of raping female police trainees is a violation of the Prevention of Conflict-related Sexual Violence signed by the parties in 2014.

He urges the Presidency to investigate, dismiss and try male suspects in a competent court.

“CEPO expects an immediate investigation, dismissal and trial of the perpetrators of the rape incidences in Rajab police training center without delay, favour or compromise,” Yakani stressed

He appealed to the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice and the Joint Transitional Security Committee to form a mechanism on the protection of survivors of rape.

CEPO also called for the strengthening of mechanisms for female officers in all security training sites to file-report allegations of rape in confidence.

“The constitution and existing laws of South Sudan mandates the government to ensure that respect for human rights and upholding the rule of law is mandatory without any compromise or favour,” CEPO asserted.