Police say they are seeing a high increase in domestic violence in the state. Official says that the police have recorded 13 cases related to domestic violence since January to date.
Captain Guot Guot Akol is the police spokesperson in Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal. He said they attributed the increase of violence due to economic hardship facing people in the country.
Akol said out of the 13 cases, the recorded seven were murder, three suicided related death, and three were rape. “We recorded many cases, which seems to be led by economic hardship in the country and others due to lack of community awareness, ” said Akol.
He appeals to people to find the best peaceful way of resolving family disputes without resorting to violence.
Some of the residents in Aweil who spoke to Akol Yam 91 FM say there is a need for community awareness on dialoguing when there is a misunderstanding. Deng Atem Aleu, a resident in Aweil, stressed the importance of dialogue as a peaceful way of solving family disagreements.
He says some people resort to taking their own lives because they don’t know their problem can be solved if they speak to a colleague or seek advice. Others say there is a need to educate people on the best approaches to solving disputes, not through fighting.