uba, April 13, 2023 — The National Transformational Leadership Institute (NTLI) at the University of Juba, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare (MGCSW) and with financial support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), successfully concluded a three-day specialized training on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in workplaces. The training, held from April 11th to 13th, 2023 at Juba Regency Hotel, brought together 30 Gender Focal Persons, including 22 women and 8 men, representing various ministries and commissions.
Participants held key positions such as Director Generals, Directors, Assistant Directors, Senior Inspectors, Inspectors, Geologists, Gender Mainstreaming Officers, and Male Champions. The primary objective of the training was to strengthen the capacity of gender focal points to effectively handle, report, and monitor GBV cases within their respective workplaces.
The interactive training employed a variety of adult learning methods including mini-lectures, brainstorming, plenary sessions, experience sharing, demonstrations, case studies, and storytelling. These methods allowed participants to engage deeply with the subject matter, openly discuss challenges, and identify concrete actions to prevent and respond to GBV cases at work.
Discussions revealed that GBV remains prevalent in many institutions but is often underreported due to limited knowledge of legal frameworks, fear of retaliation, and concerns about reporting when perpetrators hold senior management positions. Other issues raised included sexual favors, forced prostitution (locally known as Daarah), trafficking of young girls for marriage, and the narrow handling of GBV cases by labor institutions focusing primarily on technical rather than social aspects.
Participants identified various forms of GBV in workplaces such as hostile work environments, sexual exploitation, physical violence, denial of promotions, malicious rumors, and sexist comments. They also expressed concern that some qualified women avoid or leave public sector jobs due to the difficulties of reporting GBV cases.
Key recommendations included the formation of Gender Units in all ministries, empowering relevant commissions to handle GBV, linking survivors with legal support organizations, conducting mobile awareness campaigns and radio talk shows, and engaging senior decision-makers to strengthen early warning and response mechanisms. The MGCSW was urged to lead the development of a dedicated referral mechanism for workplace GBV cases.
The training concluded with a strong commitment from all participants to advocate for safer, more equitable workplaces across South Sudan.