ATOCH DENG

ATOCH DENG

Atoch Deng is a grassroots mobilizer and peacebuilder from Abyei, South Sudan. Her work on tackling sexual and gender-based violence, especially around provision of counselling and psychosocial support to survivors has been pivotal in the community that she works and lives in.

The security situation and intercommunal relations in Abyei have always been a point of discussion for many residents of the area and other actors within the peace and security arena. Many of us have witnessed this area ravaged by the conflict between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya Communities.

When the young men and boys were being forcefully recruited into the armed forces, the women and girls were left at home to fend for their dependents. Many of us had to forge a living amidst very dire situations.

In the aftermath of the crisis of 2011 in Abyei, I was elected the Deputy Chairperson of Piontok Women’s Association – an association that was founded with the objective of women championing peace in Abyei. This came at a time when the war had left scars on many of our lives. I had been recently widowed, forcing me into a more vulnerable position of raising seven children single-handedly. I had to forge this living on an income from selling used bed sheets in the local market in Abyei. Many women in my community were bearing the brunt of the conflict. This has been the order of the day for decades – with very little improvement in the situation.

Amidst a very volatile situation, many fellow women that wanted to play a role in building peace in our community came together to formulate ways in which we can contribute to a greater good for us and our families. In 2011, the Piontok Women’s Association was formed. This was a timely decision made by the women since the conversation around the women peace and security agenda was being popularized on the margins of the peace talks that were being facilitated between the two factions of Misseriya and Ngok-Dinka in Abyei.

For the last ten years, Piontok Women’s Association has worked closely with the women’s union in Misserya to bring the women of Misserya and Ngok-Dinka to discuss ways in which we can work together to build peace in Abyei. In these communal settings, we have had dialogue around women influencing their male relatives especially husbands and sons to shun resorting to conflict. This approach has been especially successful in influencing the norms and attitudes around toxic masculinity.

Some of the other approaches have been centered around co-opting male youth into income-generating activities that simultaneously keep them away from trouble. An example of how this approach has been effective is with the involvement of young men in assisting to construct the roads. This in turn has meant that these roads have enabled expectants mothers, the sick and elderly in our community to access health facilities with less exposure to hazards on their way to seek medical care.

Through the support of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), the formation of Community Protection Committees has been a welcome initiative in ensuring that our communities have some form of protection through maintaining law and order. These committees have been an effective alternative to community policing. This has created a sense of ownership amongst the volunteer group. I am currently the Sexual and Gender-based Violence Focal Point. My role is centered around providing counselling and psychosocial support to survivors and sensitizing the community on prevention and responses to sexual and gender-based violence, which continues to be used as a weapon of war in the area.