People with disabilities blamed on reporting GBV cases: Official

Persons with Disabilities in Juba face challenges in accessing information and services on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and are being blamed at police stations and hospitals when reporting such abuses against them, an official said.

Precious Arkanjelo, the Deputy Secretary for Information of the Union of Persons with Disabilities in Central Equatoria, said persons with disability face obstacles in reporting GBV to the police and accessing services in hospital.

Ms Arkanjelo said when a person with disabilities reports an incident of GBV, they end up being interrogated and blamed for the crimes they endured.

“In reporting a case, we face challenges with the police and even in the hospital,” she said on Eye Radio’s Zone 72 Youth Program.

“Sometimes you want to report an incident which has happened to you, but before you are helped, they will blame you and ask you why are you moving at this time.”

“You are a person with a disability you are supposed to be inside why are coming out: so as a person disability no one is giving you the attention they give to other people.”

She called for awareness among the communities, training of health workers and and transcription of GBV messages and information in Braille for the visually impaired to access it.

“We need to do more awareness raising to the community, we need to train social workers and teachers to transcribe the information into braille.”

On her part, Miss Deaf International, Josephine Kiden Simon, said the hearing-impaired minority group is unable to access information on GBV without sign language interpreters.

She called for the provision of sign language interpreters in the Police, Courts and other institutions.

“In our community, as the hearing impaired, we have a lot of challenges,” Kiden stated.

“It’s a challenge for me to get information on GBV unless there is a sign language interpreter it will be easy for me, hearing impaired who have not gone to school it is also a challenge for them to access the information of GBV.”

“It is important to have interpreters everywhere in the court, communities, International and National NGOs for easy communication.”

Alfred Nimeri, Finance Officer of the Disability Forum Club, stressed the need to end the stigma against persons with disability and report incidence of GBV to the authority for the victim to find justice.

“When a girl with disability experiences GBV.There parents may say let us not report the issue let it end here because it will bring a big shame to the family.”

“The girl will not get her right; the person need to be taken to the authority but now the community or parents puts the things silently.”

People with special needs in South Sudan are said to be at a heightened risk of sexual, emotional and physical violence.

In February 2023, President Salva Kiir signed the convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) addresses gender-based violence (GBV) specifically in Article 16, which calls for measures to protect persons with disabilities from all forms of exploitation, violence, and abuse, including GBV.