Gender-based violence versus Human Security: Cases from South Sudan

Abstract

This thesis is based on the concept of gender-based violence (GBV), violence that mostly targets women due to socially constructed perceptions about their gender. The context that has been chosen is South Sudan and the analysis has been carried out on the background of a document study of the Transitional Constitution and the customary court system in South Sudan. GBV is a highly prevalent threat to women’s lives in South Sudan due to male dominance of societal structures and low empowerment of women. A focus on the collective and family sets the individual’s security to the side, making women’s daily lives insecure. We cannot expect human security to flourish in a society where GBV is so highly prevalent, thus The aim of this study is to shed a light on the current situation of GBV in South Sudan, and the effects of the formal and informal laws on GBV related to women.