The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 567 (March 23 - April 5 2022)

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Page2 TheTrumpet MARCH 23 - APRIL 5 2022 News ‘Hellish existence’ for women and girls in South Sudan Continued from Page 1< Widespread sexual violence against women and girls in conflict is being fueled by systemic impunity, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has said. The Commission’s new report, based on interviews conducted with victims and witnesses over several years, describes a “hellish existence for women and girls”, with widespread rape being perpetrated by all armed groups across the country. PEER & CO IMMIGRATION SPECIALISTS 15 Years experience with UK Immigration, Appeals, Deportations, and Removal cases. * Judicial Review. * Prison and Detention Centre Legal Visits. * British Citizenship Applications. * Visas and more... 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Calling for urgent and demonstrable action by authorities, Ms. Sooka said: “South Sudanese men must stop regarding the female body as ‘territory’ to be owned, controlled and exploited.” Sexual violence survivors have detailed “staggeringly brutal and prolonged gang rapes” perpetrated against them by multiple men, often while their husbands, parents or 1) ONE (1) Acre of Land (6 Plots) at OKUSHU in OKO-AFO close to AGBARA and ATAN to ADO-ODO, off BADAGRY Express way. This is an upcoming residential developing area. The electricity supply from the national grid, is through Agbara. Very dry soil, Not flood plain (NO FLOOD PROBLEMS) PRICE: N1.5 MILLION. 2) 2 Plots of Land for Sale at ERUKU - OKO-AFO; AGBARA AREA, also, ATAN, and ADO-ODO, through Badagry Express way, and it also benefits from good transport systems and national grid is through Agbara and ATAN area. PRICE: N900,000. Nine Hundred Thousand Naira. All the above properties are recommended for early grab as we are inaundated with enquiries, therefore, first come, first served. PLEASE CALL :- +44 (0)7802 575486 - JOE children have been forced to watch, helpless to intervene. Women of all ages recounted being raped multiple times while other women were also being raped around them, and a woman raped by six men said she was even forced to tell her assailants that the rape had been “good”, threatening to rape her again if she refused. The resultant traumas “ensure the complete destruction of the social fabric”, the UN Commission said. Horrific assaults “Anyone reading the details of this horrific report can only begin to imagine what life is like for the survivors. These accounts are unfortunately just the tip of the iceberg. Everyone, inside and outside governments, should be thinking what they can do to prevent further acts of sexual violence and to provide adequate care for the survivors,” said Andrew Clapham, member of the Commission. A woman described her friend being raped by a man in the forest who then said he wanted to continue to ‘have fun’ and further raped her with a firewood stick until she bled to death. Teenage girls described being left for dead by their rapists while bleeding heavily. Medical personnel also report that many survivors have been raped multiple times throughout their lifetime. Traumatised for life The report also describes women often bearing children as a result of rape, and notes that in many cases, survivors have contracted sexually transmitted infections including being infected with HIV. Following rape and pregnancy, women are often abandoned by husbands and families, and left destitute. Some of those raped while pregnant, have suffered miscarriages. Husbands searching for abducted wives and daughters often spend years not knowing their fate, with some learning they were abducted by men from rival ethnic groups and forced to bear multiple children – one such man was so traumatized, he wanted to take his own life. The Commission reported that these attacks were not random opportunistic incidents, but usually involved armed soldiers actively hunting down women and girls, with rape carried out during attacks on villages, systematic and widespread. Accountability versus impunity The Commission said the failure of political elites to deal with security sector reform, and to provide for the very basic needs of armed forces on all sides, continues to contribute to a permissive environment in which South Sudanese women are regarded as currency. With near-universal impunity for rape and sexual violence, perpetrators avoid accountability. Calling on the Government of South Sudan and its obligation to end impunity for serious crimes, the Commission noted the recent Government initiatives to address sexual violence in conflict, including establishing a special court and holding military justice proceedings. While welcoming such measures, the Commission also said, “they remain woefully inadequate given the scale and extent of crimes”. Gender inequality context “It is scandalous that senior officials implicated in violence against women and girls, including cabinet ministers and governors, are not immediately removed from office and held accountable. To address this pervasive violence in conflict and other contexts, those in positions of command and other authority must promptly and publicly adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards sexual and gender-based violence.” said Barney Afako, member of the Commission. To grasp the full impact of conflict-related sexual violence, it is also necessary to understand the social and cultural context in which sexual violence occurs, under patriarchal systems based on domination and gender discrimination. Half of all South Sudanese women are married off before they reach 18, and the country has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. Sexual and gender-based violence is also common outside of conflict, affecting women and girls amongst all segments of society. The Commission is calling on the authorities in South Sudan to take the necessary steps to stop sexual violence against women and girls, by addressing impunity and the drivers of conflict and insecurity. Work of the Commission The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan is an independent body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council. It was first established in March 2016. The Commission is mandated to investigate the situation of human rights in South Sudan, and to determine and report the facts and circumstances of human rights violations and abuses, including by clarifying responsibility for violations and abuses that are crimes under national and or international law.
News MARCH 23 - APRIL 5 2022 TheTrumpet Forest conservation has united Gabon By Francis Kokutse With close to 55 ethnic groups in a population of 2 million, Gabon would have been a very divided country like most African countries. However, this is not the case because the country has found and used forest conservation as a tool to bring the various ethnic groups together despite their diversity. “Without the forest, we do not have any culture. Our people use it for food, shelter and medicine and so, we are opening up the country for others to visit to see how we have been united by the forest our forebears depended on,” said, the Executive Secretary of the Agence Nationale Des Parc Nationaux (ANPN), Christian Tchemambela. One of the parks, 6,747 square kilometre Ropanda Walker Arboretum, and 13 others that are being used to promote the country’s conservation initiative now cover about 11 per cent of the country’s landmass. They have helped to turn Gabon into the world’s second largest rainforest after the Amazon. “The success of all we have done is because as a people, our culture depends on the forest. Our diverse culture is guided by how our elders lived, conserving the forest and it is what we have come to practice,” Tchemambela said. For him, “without the forest, our culture will disappear. Monkeys and Chimpanzees have always been part of how our people lived and so, conservation is nothing new to us. What we are doing now is to add a bit of research to make it sustainable.” It is no wonder that, the country has been able to Christian Tchemambela, Executive Secretary of the Agence National Des Parcs Nationaux build a sanctuary for gorillas at Loango. The park which is 1,550 square kilometres was created in 2002. Scientists working at the park say, the density of gorillas at Loango is approximately one per square kilometre. This is based on studies using genetic analysis of faeces as well as remotely triggered camera traps. For this reason, they estimate that 1,500 gorillas live there. Gabon lies on the equator, and around 88% of its land is covered with tropical forest. This makes forest cover the main ecosystem of the country with a rich and varied fauna (including the western lowland gorilla, chimpanzees and nearly 95,000 forest elephants), a diverse bird population, estimated at more than 600 species and a wide range of flora also estimated to be more than 6,000 specimens – with more yet to be identified by scientists. The Minister of Water and Environment, Lee White, said the country’s conservation efforts had been successful because of the involvement of the country’s researchers. They have been in the forefront since 2012, working to promote Gabon’s protection of marine habitats through the Gabon Bleu (Blue Gabon) initiative, which has led to the declaration of 27% of marine waters as protected areas. White said a lot of work has also been done through research to develop an ecotourism project as well as create a sustainable wood logging operation. He added that, studies have shown that sustainable logging and forestry can help the woodlands refresh at a faster rate than if the forest is left alone. He said work by these researchers have created the atmosphere for controlled logging. This will help preserve the country’s forest to ensure that there is sustained growth in the economy as well as the provision of jobs, whilst ensuring the stability and maintenance of the forest for carbon absorption. Currently, the country is the most carbon positive nation on the planet, with current carbon dioxide emissions estimated at 40 million tonnes per annum, but through its forest it has capacity to absorb 140 million Page3 tonnes. White said the most recent survey conducted of forest elephants, which was released in December 2021, shows that, the country has become home to 60-70% of the surviving global forest elephant population. According to him, this places stress on the country’s resources to protect its biodiversity and has seen a rise in human animal conflict at the periphery of the rainforests. Instability in surrounding countries, for example poaching in neighbouring Cameroon and political crises in the Central African Republic, have led many at risk animals to cross into Gabon seeking a more secure sanctuary. White said “protecting the country’s biodiversity comes at a cost to the people of Gabon and if the country, which is a developing nation that is increasingly serving as a refuge for under-threat species, is to succeed in its biodiversity objectives, international support will be needed to share the burden.” The technical advisor for the ANPN, Omer Ntougou said some of the researchers have concentrated their work at the Ropanda Walker Arboretum. “The French Development Agency has provided assistance to these researchers with the building of a school and a national centre for science research to study the environment further in order to understand the country’s ecosystem,” he added. When you think you need A&E, contact NHS 111 online first The NHS is encouraging the public to use NHS 111 online to get urgent medical advice quickly – in addition to existing services – ahead of what England’s top doctor has said will be a ‘winter like no other.’ With more people predicted to suffer from flu this year and hospitals already treating an increased number of COVID-19 patients, NHS 111 online offers an alternative way to get immediate medical advice. Data from September showed that the NHS was already experiencing record demand for emergency services, with ambulances responding to 76,000 life-threatening incidents and call handlers taking more than one million 999 calls. The NHS 111 phone service also saw record demand, with a call being taken every seven seconds. It’s recommended that if you have an urgent but not life-threatening medical need, you should visit NHS 111 online first rather than going straight to A&E. You can access the service by visiting the website 111.nhs.uk. People use the online 111 service for a range of reasons, including to check their symptoms and if an injury or illness requires further investigation, to get information on mental health support services available, or to seek advice on how to take a medication. The service is also able to arrange for you to be seen at an Urgent Treatment Centre, GP surgery, pharmacy, emergency dental services or A&E should you need it. If you or your loved one have a life-threatening illness or injury then you should always use 999. Just think 111 first. When you think you need A&E, go to NHS 111 online 111.nhs.uk or call 111.
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The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 567 (March 23 - April 5 2022)

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