Achai Deng, a South Sudanese Human Rights Officer in Aweil, serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) believes that the country’s youth hold the key to peace – if they are adequately empowered.

That, she thinks, is particularly important for women and girls.

“We need our youth to have peace in mind, because that will enable them to develop our country. By giving everyone access to education, they can change our future into a brighter one,” said Achai Deng, herself a mother of three.

In South Sudan, where almost three quarters of the population are under the age of 30, these young people face a wide array of avoidable hurdles, with girls and women disproportionately affected. Obstacles include armed conflict, limited job opportunities and economic hardship.

As part of a harmful cultural practice, many girls are discouraged from going to school. Without an education, they not only find employment opportunities few and far between, but they also become vulnerable to early and forced marriages, which are often accompanied by gender-based violence.

“If they can go to school and find jobs, they will become more self-reliant and involved in issues that affect them. As for boys and young men, if they are meaningfully occupied and employed, they will be less likely to engage in criminality, drugs and violent behaviour,” the young Human Rights Officer said.

An important part of the UNMISS mandate is to protect civilians, with another, and related one, being the monitoring, documentation and reporting of human rights violations. Promoting accountability and putting an end to impunity are key activities to reduce abuses.

“We work together with local legal authorities to facilitate access to justice. In my capacity, I also frequently visit prisons to monitor the situation and conditions of inmates, some of whom have been detained for a long time without having had their cases heard by a court,” said Deng.

Traditionally, men dominate the social, economic and political decision-making processes in South Sudan, with women often being restricted to domestic chores.

“Unfortunately, it is an environment where negative thoughts about women abound. It is not unusual to hear local authorities saying that men are always right and women are wrong. To help change this harmful and deeply ingrained mindset is one of the main reasons I’m passionate about my job as a Human Rights Officer.”