Author: Madrama James | Published: 6 mins ago
Gen. Dak Karlo, Director of Special Protection Unit and Child Affairs, speaks on Eye Radio’s Sundown Show. May 8, 2025. (Photo: Awan Moses).
JUBA, (Eye Radio) – The Director of Special Protection Unit and Child Affairs at the South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) said hesitancy among victims of sexual exploitation to report abuses is hindering the law from pining down perpetrators.
Brig. Gen. James Dak Carlo attributed the hesitancy to negative perceptions, taboos and consequences of reporting some influential perpetrators of sexual related cases.
He said this makes it difficult for judges to pin down or hold perpetrators of sexual exploitation accountable in the country.
“The biggest gap we are really facing is the mindset and the attitude of our people. Our people are being pulled down by stigma, they are being pulled down by taboos and cultural concepts,” Dak told Eye Radio’s Sundown Show.
“They don’t report, they hardly report because they think if they report it will become an abuse to her. And then also another issue is the witnesses are hesitant to report because they also fear their protection against the perpetrators.”
“Because the rule of law says an accused is innocent until his guilt is proved beyond reasonable doubt.”
“And this reasonable doubt, it has to be accomplished and accompanied by evidence and witnesses and then those who have gone to the scene of the offense. So, if all these elements are not there, the judge will not pin down the perpetrator.”
A joint investigation unveiled by The New Humanitarian and Aljazeera in September 2022 found that UN peacekeepers, agencies staff and aid-workers perpetuated sexual abuse on civilians at Malakal Protection of Civilian Sites in South Sudan.
The probe titled “alleged sex abuse by aid workers unchecked for years in UN-run South Sudan camp” first emerged in 2015, two years after the civil war.
But it has allegedly protracted to involve some of the staff of international agencies like the IOM, MSF, WFP and World Vision workers, who the findings named as alleged perpetrators.
Responding the sexual abuse and exploitation report, UN Chief Guterres said he was appalled by the allegations and demanded for an investigation.
Gen. Dak further warned that any foreign perpetrators of sexual exploitation and abuse will face the law and risk deportation.
“Whoever commits sexual exploitation, will be automatically return back to his country without any consideration. So, it’s one of the elements that they undertake before they come to the field, that they have to obey the ethics of sexual exploitation.”
“Our people also in the colleges, we need to teach them police ethics. We teach them also penal court, criminal court of procedure law, evidence and other laws, and we also talk to them.”
“Even our members of SPU, we tell them that this is humanitarian work, that they should respect the ethics, respect the survivor and also respect the suspect, because they are still innocent until proven guilty.”
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