Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUnifeed
SOUTH SUDAN / ACT TO PROTECT
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / ACT TO PROTECT
TRT: 4:19
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 5-6 FEBRUARY 2020, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN / FILE
FILE – UNMISS
1.Various Shots, Children
6 FEBRUARY 2020, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
2.Various Shots, Act to Protect campaign closing
3.SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict:
“You would not believe the types of things that I get to see, the new ways of violence against children that are being invented every day of the week. You are the lucky ones, you have the one chance, not just to prevent this in your own country, but also to serve as a model to others and eventually when you can all become delisted from the lists of the Secretary-General on violations against children and armed conflict, you will be able to become peacekeepers and police peacekeepers and you will be able to go provide protection further afield.”
4.Various Shots, Meeting First Vice President
5 FEBRUARY 2020, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
5.Various Shots, Meeting with Cabinet Ministers
6 FEBRUARY 2020, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
6.Various shots, Act to Protect campaign closing
7.SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict:
“Learning how to raise awareness in the population to ensure that children have the chance that we ourselves never had growing up. So, we want to change something, let us change our own realities, let’s not reinvent ourselves, let’s give the new generation the possibility of growing up free from fear and free from want.”
8.Various shots, Act to Protect campaign closing
9.SOUNDBITE (English) Josephine Lagu, South Sudan Opposition Alliance Chairperson:
“They may suffer because their parents are away from them and may be participating in the armed conflict away from home. They may suffer because they may be denied any access to education. So, instead of being in school, they are displaced, or their parents may be displaced and as a consequence, so they suffer. They suffer also in terms of access to medical care and I think, during the time of armed conflict, we lose young children disproportionately because of a lack of access to medical care.”
10.Various Shots, Distribution of shirts
11.SOUNDBITE (English) Alain Noudehou, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General Humanitarian Coordinator, UNMISS:
“This campaign is simply to call all of us to make sure that we spread the message that protecting children is, not only, about what the government does, or what the armed forces do, or the military does but it’s about something that we are all going to do as part of our community.”
12 SEPTEMBER 2018, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
12.Various Shots, Peace Agreement signing, Addis
FILE – UNMISS
13.Various Shots, Children
During her week-long visit to South Sudan, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba launched a local version of a global campaign “ACT to protect” children affected by conflict.
Thousands of children have suffered at the hands of armed forces during the civil war in South Sudan. Many have been killed, maimed, abducted, separated from their families and denied access to education and healthcare.
These soldiers have spent the past three days learning how to prevent these kinds of violations in future and to, instead, protect children from the ravages of war.
At the conclusion of the training, they received a special message of encouragement from the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict who is visiting South Sudan.
SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict:
“You would not believe the types of things that I get to see, the new ways of violence against children that are being invented every day of the week. You are the lucky ones, you have the one chance, not just to prevent this in your own country, but also to serve as a model to others and eventually when you can all become delisted from the lists of the Secretary-General on violations against children and armed conflict, you will be able to become peacekeepers and police peacekeepers and you will be able to go provide protection further afield.”
During her week-long visit, the SRSG also met the country’s First Vice President, government ministers, members of the opposition parties and armed forces as well as civil society and religious leaders.
SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict:
“Learning how to raise awareness in the population to ensure that children have the chance that we ourselves never had growing up. So, we want to change something, let us change our own realities, let’s not reinvent ourselves, let’s give the new generation the possibility of growing up free from fear and free from want.”
The campaign is supported by South Sudanese political leaders who spoke passionately at the launch about how children have suffered because of the violence that has plagued the country for more than five years.
SOUNDBITE (English) Josephine Lagu, South Sudan Opposition Alliance Chairperson:
“They may suffer because their parents are away from them and may be participating in the armed conflict away from home. They may suffer because they may be denied any access to education. So, instead of being in school, they are displaced, or their parents may be displaced and so they suffer. They suffer also in terms of access to medical care and I think, during the time of armed conflict, we lose young children disproportionately because of a lack of access to medical care.”
The United Nations is partnering with the government and opposition parties in the campaign and all efforts to prevent violence against children.
SOUNDBITE (English) Alain Noudehou, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General Humanitarian Coordinator, UNMISS:
“This campaign is simply to call all of us to make sure that we spread the message that protecting children is, not only, about what the government does, or what the armed forces do, or the military does but it’s about something that we are all going to do as part of our community.”
Violations against children has reduced significantly since the signing of a peace deal in 2018 that included a permanent ceasefire. However, many children still continue to suffer harm and it is hoped that the South Sudanese Government will sign up to a formal Action Plan to end and prevent all grave violations against children in future.
Download
There is no media available to download.
