South Sudan: UNMISS strengthens social workers’ capacity to protect civilians through human rights reporting

Protecting civilians begins with ensuring human rights abuses are detected, verified and addressed.

By strengthening the skills of frontline social workers, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan is helping improve early warning, accountability and support for vulnerable communities across Jonglei.

A three-day workshop was held with 20 social workers from nine counties, including five women, alongside Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare representatives, sexual and gender-based violence survivors, and other key stakeholders.

Sessions focused on the protection and promotion of human rights during conflict, including the importance of timely documentation of abuses to safeguard civilians, support survivors and ensure accountability.

"Many cases go unreported because some county case workers are not well trained. I hope this initiative can be extended to include them to ensure they properly document and report cases,” explained Susan Aluel Gabriel.

A social worker with the State Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, Nathanial Gum Gop, called for greater financial and technical support so frontline workers can better serve vulnerable communities.

"There are many violations and atrocities taking place, but social workers have not been able to do as much as expected. This workshop will strengthen our protection efforts.”

As conflict persists across the State, sexual and gender-based violence remains a major threat.

"More than 10 cases have been recorded recently, with three under investigation and seven still pending follow-up,” confirmed Jonglei State Survivors’ Coordinator, Road Yar Wut. “While some have been referred to court, others have not progressed because survivors or their families were unable or unwilling to pursue them.”

Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare Director-General, Gatluak David Kueth, said the workshop addresses important gaps.

"Although social workers are deployed across all counties, case reporting remains low because many are not fully aware of how to identify and document violations. This workshop will strengthen the reporting system and improve responses across the State.”

"UNMISS is committed to building the capacity of social workers,” explained UNMISS Human Rights Officer, Sharon Lowery. “Equipping them with new skills helps create stronger systems to protect civilians.”