German envoy raises alarm on violence, mental health crisis facing women

JUBA – The German Ambassador to South Sudan, Gregory Bledjian, on Thursday called for increased investment in mental health and psychosocial support to help foster peace and strengthen women’s participation in society.

Speaking during a panel discussion held to mark International Women’s Day, the envoy stressed that the psychological and emotional impacts of violence on women and girls must be addressed to support healing, dignity, and inclusion.

“Women and girls with disabilities face multiple and overlapping risks. They are more likely to experience sexual and gender-based violence and often encounter greater obstacles in reporting abuse or accessing care,” he said.

International Women’s Day, organised under the ResPect Project, is held under the theme: “Mental Health – Invisible Wounds: Mental Health, Gender-based Violence and the Lived Realities of Women with Disabilities in South Sudan – Let Us Take Action.”

Bledjian revealed that German enterprises in South Sudan are constantly advocating for the meaningful inclusion of women in all phases of conflict prevention, mediation, peace-building, and stabilisation.

“I believe our purpose is simple but clear: to make the invisible visible and to commit to concrete action, highlighting how gender-based violence uniquely affects women and girls with disabilities.”

Elizabeth Atong, the Project Coordinator for the Prevention of Sexualised and Gender-based Violence under the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), stated that they are working to stop gender-based violence.

“The platform reflects on the intersection of mental health, psychosocial support, and access to services for persons with disabilities, particularly in the context of preventing and responding to gender-based violence,” said Atong.

Pelle Enarsson, the ambassador of the European Union to South Sudan, revealed that mental health and well-being form the basis of productive communities, effective institutions, and a cohesive society.

Enarsson disclosed that the 2008 census reported that 420,000 people, or 5 per cent of South Sudan’s population, were living with disabilities, adding that recent estimates show that the current number is likely to be much higher, possibly reaching over 1 million people, or 16 per cent of the population.

“When mental well-being is compromised, whether by conflict, trauma, stress, economic hardship, or social stigma, individuals’ ability to learn, work, participate in civic life, and support their families becomes severely limited,” said Enarsson.

“Women and girls with disabilities often experience social isolation, barriers to justice and services, stigma and discrimination, and limited access to health and psychosocial support. No society can achieve true equality while women and girls with disabilities remain invisible or unprotected.”