What often begins not with a scream, but with a whisper of disbelief, a sudden rupture in the fabric of what was once considered safe, unfolded tragically for a 16-year-old South Sudanese girl in Juba’s Shirkat area on June 19, 2025. For countless individuals, the aftermath of sexual violence is a silent battle fought in the shadows of public ignorance and private shame.
On that Thursday, the young girl was carrying out domestic chores at her parents’ home and had been sent by her mother to purchase vegetables from the market. On her way back, a nightmare she never anticipated occurred. She encountered a group of approximately 15 young men, aged between 19 and 25. They forcibly took her belongings, including the money she had, and then seized her, threatening her with death if she screamed or uttered a word. The terrified young lady complied.
She was then dragged to a nearby bush, where the horrific assault took place. The group mercilessly gang-raped her despite her desperate pleas. In a shocking display of callousness, the perpetrators recorded their heinous act, seemingly viewing it as a perverse display of power and a warning to other young women in Shirkat.
After accomplishing their brutal act, they abandoned the girl by the roadside and fled. However, as the saying goes, “what is hidden shall one day be revealed.” Due to the clear visibility of their faces in the video they had recorded, the perpetrators were systematically identified and apprehended one by one, subsequently being sent behind bars.
The young girl has since been taken under medical care and is receiving treatment. While the full extent of the psychological trauma she endures remains unknown, she is receiving necessary support. This harrowing incident serves as a stark reminder of the profound violation experienced when a place once considered inviolable becomes the site of one’s greatest violation.
For survivors of sexual assault, the path to healing is often paved with societal judgment and an uphill battle for belief. The incident underscores a crucial message: no girl deserves to be used like a toy simply because she is a girl or perceived as vulnerable.
