A four-year, multi-donor project to prevent sexual and gender-based violence in South Sudan has ended after reaching more than 38,000 people, with Germany contributing over US$6 million to the initiative since 2022.
The multi-donor initiative, known as ResPEct: Stop SGBV – Respond, Prevent, Educate!, marked the end of its implementation at a closing event in Juba that brought together government officials, donors, women leaders and project partners to review its achievements.
The project was co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
It supported internally displaced people, returnees and host communities in Aweil West, Juba and Yei River counties through activities designed to prevent gender-based violence, improve access to support services and promote gender equality.
According to the project information, more than 12,300 survivors and people affected by sexual and gender-based violence received psychosocial support and medical care through Women and Girl Friendly Spaces and the One-Stop Centre in Yei.
The initiative also worked with schools and community organisations to promote violence prevention, while engaging men and boys in discussions on gender roles and equality.
European Union Ambassador to South Sudan Pelle Enarsson said the project addressed gender-based violence through a combination of service provision, prevention and efforts to change social attitudes.
“Addressing gender-based violence requires more than service provision alone; it requires working simultaneously on prevention, social norms, women’s participation, institutional capacity, and community ownership,” Enarsson said.
He added that the initiative had contributed to creating conditions in which violence was less tolerated and less likely to remain hidden.
German Ambassador to South Sudan Sebastian Brökelmann said Germany had invested more than US$6 million in GIZ’s ResPEct project since 2022.
“The prevention of sexual and gender-based violence is a global responsibility and essential to human dignity, justice, and lasting peace,” Brökelmann said.
He said the South Sudanese government had the primary responsibility to guarantee peace and security for its citizens, including women and girls.
The project also supported women’s economic empowerment through small businesses and Village Savings and Loan Associations, aimed at strengthening financial independence and improving household livelihoods.
It worked with female journalists on conflict- and gender-sensitive reporting and partnered with local non-governmental organisations to produce radio programmes addressing gender-based violence and equality.
Director General of the Central Equatoria State Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare Nunu Diana Alison said the project had worked with government institutions and communities in several locations to promote women’s participation.
“The project used community-based approaches and worked with government institutions to amplify women’s voices,” Alison said.
“Lasting equality requires more than changing attitudes; we must also transform the systems and practices that sustain discrimination and limit women’s and girls’ opportunities,” she added.
The initiative also supported women’s organisations and community groups to develop recommendations intended to inform government policies and programmes addressing gender-based violence and discrimination against women and girls.
The closing event featured a gallery walk, a live radio discussion with project participants, artistic presentations and the unveiling of an artwork highlighting the initiative’s work.
The conclusion of the four-year implementation marks the end of the project period, while the organisers’ stated focus on preventing gender-based violence and promoting gender equality remains a concern for government institutions, communities and development partners.
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