Female UNPOL officers patrol and protect in UN Protection sites
Channel: UNMISS VIDEOS
Date: 2017-09-26

When Aja from the Gambia, patrols Protection of Civilian’s or PoC sites, on a daily basis, children and adults alike, mob her, singing songs in her praise.
Nyagua, Nyagua – yori yori, South South Sudani, Yori Yori, Nyagua Nyagua yori yori, fi mangoliya, yori yori (Beautiful girl, Beautiful girl, Yori Yori…), they sing as they trail her everywhere she goes, sometimes holding her hand.
“I started working with these people in the POC, building trust, buying biscuits for these children, telling them the truth that is in me, not giving them lies, not giving them hope in anything so  now they said, we will give you a name, they said Nyagua – and I asked them – what is the meaning of Nyagua - and they said Nyagua is a good girl, a clean hearted girl, and a beautiful girl,” says Aja Ndey Mbye during one of her visits to a Protection of Civilians site that is home to close to over 39,000 displaced, and is located in South Sudan’s capital, Juba. 
On a typical day, Aja visits the POC site manager’s office and is briefed on goings over a 24-hour period.
She recently followed up on a domestic violence issue between a couple who fought each other bitterly in the POC site. A house visit at the couple’s home to help resolve differences revealed that the couple were not at home. They had left to seek help from close family.
Return visits always yield fruitful conversations and amicable solutions. 
The visits are always in the company of camp managers. Culprits are sometimes asked to report at a community center where several desks are available to seat at to discuss and resolve matters.
Doreen Mazumba Malambo from Zambia, is another female Police Officer. She joined the Mission in South Sudan in April 2016. Three months after her arrival, conflict erupted in South Sudan’s capita, Juba.
Her main responsibilities at the moment include training a section of the country’s Police on issues pertaining to gender related violence. 
A year ago when conflict erupted in early July, Doreen was immediately deployed to a Protection of Civilians site to monitor on reports of gender-based violence on arriving displaced.
SOUNDBITE (English) Doreen Mazuba Malambo, UNPOL
“I saw it to be fit for me to help in any way I could as a mother, because back home I would like to see my children being safe or being at peace all the time. 

Both Aja and Doreen are part of the UNPOL Women’s Network, which held a two-day seminar in Juba, under the theme “Strengthen, Unite and Raise the Capacity of Women in UNMISS.
With about 70 participants drawn from across South Sudan, the female police peacekeepers heard that they should take up leadership positions so as to serve as role models to communities living in PoCs. Speaking to participants, the Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan said that female police can relate to women and children with ease.
SOUNDBITE (English) David Shearer, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to South Sudan
“They have a much better ability to relate to women like walk in to houses chat to the children, chat to women and not be seen as a threat. Women will open up to them and tell them about their problems particularly the sexual brutality here, talk about that sort of thing with them that is hugely important.”

David Shearer also said that additional female UN Police officers would be deployed to UNMISS to strengthen relations with displaced communities across the country.
Speaking on the first day of the event, the Undersecretary in the ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, Esther Ikere, shone a light on how the conflict has affected women in South Sudan.
SOUNDBITE (English) Esther Ikere, Under Secretary, Ministry of Gender, Child and Welfare, in Seminar
“I gave them a general overview of what is happening with regard to sexual and gender based violence. We know very well that sexual and gender based violence is at crisis level in South Sudan because of the shortcoming in the judicial system, but at the same time, conflict related sexual violence is also predominant in conflict affected states and UNPOL Police are there every time and then in conflict affected states. If they are not aware about the situation they are not aware about the situation, they don’t know the magnitude of the problem, and then they will not be in a position to address it.”

As both Doreen and Aja continue to take on the challenge of assisting South Sudan’s struggling populations, their work with displaced communities could continue to earn them more praise and songs, like Aja has had when the displaced sing Nyagua, Nyagua, every time they see her