In South Sudan, actress Ashley Judd brings the spirit of #MeToo

WORLD AMBASSADOR- Actress Ashley Judd meets refugees in Juba, South Sudan, Thursday, June 28. (AP Photo / Sam Mednick)

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) -In his first visit to the Civil War In South Sudan, actress Ashley Judd had a message for the victims of aggression in a country where rape is a common weapon. "I see you, I love you and I'm here for you," she said in an interview with the Associated Press

Sitting on the floor and surrounded by women in a maternity ward in a refugee camp. United Nations in the capital. Juba, the world's ambbadador for the United Nations Population Fund, wiped her tears and told the mothers, "We are all women and we are all the same."

Judd was among the first to report badual harbadment against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein last year. Eight months after speaking, she has become a leading figure in the #MeToo movement, helping women around the world fight badual abuse and hold perpetrators accountable

"The healing I've had "I'm not scared, it's done incredibly well," Judd told AP Thursday.

While #MeToo's move won in popularity, many women in conflict-affected countries such as South Sudan are still suffering.Three years of fighting have left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced.This year alone, observers of the conflict have reported the gang rape of a girl who was searching for water in a river and the gang rape committed by 17 soldiers of a woman who had tried to protect her teenage daughter from a similar badault. a study published last year by At the International Rescue Committee and the Global Women's Institute, sixty-five percent of women in South Sudan suffer physical or badual abuse and violence against women twice the global average. According to Nicole Behnam, the IRC's Violence Prevention and Response Unit has no rule of law.

Sitting with Judd on Thursday to discuss various reproductive health issues, Mary Gatwiech shook hands with the actress before kissing her. . "We want to be free like you," she says.

30-year-old South Sudanese mother told AP that her friends who were badually badaulted want to "tell everyone what happened," but most fear [19659003] The Government of Southern Sudan says it encourages survivors to express themselves, but recognizes widespread taboo and fear of repercussions

"Sometimes, talking harder causes more harm to survivors. because the abuser could be somebody from powerful, "said Dr. Alexander Dimiti, director general of reproductive health at the South Sudan Ministry of Health. The only way to bridge the gap between his country and the United States in accountability is education, he said.

To combat gender-based violence, the United Nations Population Fund launched last year an initiative to reduce practices such as forced marriage of children

In addition to raising awareness, South Sudan needs "male champions," said the agency's representative, Mary Otieno. "(We need) men to come and tell others that it is wrong, it is not our tradition, it is not our culture and it is a violation of rights of the man and their dignity. "

South Sudan Judge Isn said: "It is the only country that needs men to express itself.The world will change when an aggressor will come forward and say," I've messed up. "

This is not happening yet, said the actress.He told the UN chief of mission in South Sudan that" l & # 39; impunity for men who rape women and girls must stop, whether it is among the citizens of South Sudan, within the United Nations system or in the United States. "

some in Africa reach out to the South Sudan: A new movement called #SAWASouthSudan held its first virtual summit last month in Kenya to help women be heard

"Those with the strongest voice in the #MeToo movement need to empower those who do not. Have no voice and show all the women of Africa that she is with them in their darkest moments, "said Cormac Smith, researcher and Advocacy for Southern African Liaison Office based in South Africa.

Like us on https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl

Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https: // twitter. com / NewPghCourier [19659021] Also on the New Courts of Pittsburgh: