In June 2025, a 16-year-old girl was gang-raped in the Sherikat area of Juba, a case that shook the entire nation. Videos of the assault circulated widely on social media, exposing a growing crisis of youth gang violence and sexual assault across urban neighborhoods. While authorities arrested several suspects, civil society organizations warn that the Sherikat case represents a much larger, often unreported problem affecting adolescents nationwide.

This national outrage highlighted the urgent need for community-based interventions that prevent youth from falling into cycles of violence and exploitation. Among those leading the response is EduFilm, a Juba-based youth-focused organization, which has launched a training initiative combining life skills, mentorship, and digital storytelling to help adolescents resist gang recruitment and contribute positively to their communities.

South Sudan’s Youth at Risk

South Sudan is one of the youngest countries in the world, with over 70 percent of the population under the age of 30, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). While this demographic could represent a powerful engine for development, it also creates risks when young people lack access to education, employment, and safe spaces for engagement.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that adolescents growing up in fragile and conflict-affected settings are especially vulnerable to recruitment into gangs, criminal networks, and armed groups.  What happens to a community when its youth have nowhere safe to turn? In urban neighborhoods such as Juba, gangs often provide young people with a sense of identity, belonging, and protection that they cannot find elsewhere, putting them at higher risk of violence and criminal behavior.

When Youth Groups Turn Violent

The rise of youth gangs in South Sudan is part of a broader pattern where informal youth groups evolve into violent networks when social and economic support is limited.

Even rural movements, such as the Red Belt Movement in Jonglei State, illustrate how youth mobilization can rapidly shift toward armed activity when young people lack constructive opportunities. While urban gangs in Juba operate differently, the underlying causes—unemployment, peer pressure, and lack of mentorship—are often the same.

EduFilm’s Community-Based Response

In response to these challenges, EduFilm launched a youth training initiative focused on preventing gang involvement and building resilience among adolescents in vulnerable neighborhoods.

The program works with boys and girls aged 15–30, providing workshops in:

• Conflict resolution and non-violent communication

• Leadership and teamwork skills

• Digital media and storytelling

• Civic engagement and community responsibility

By creating safe and structured environments, the initiative offers young people alternatives to gangs, while helping them develop the confidence, skills, and sense of purpose necessary to navigate challenges in their communities.

Storytelling as a Tool for Prevention

A central component of EduFilm’s program is digital storytelling. Participants produce short films and narratives highlighting challenges in their neighborhoods, including:

• Gender-based violence

• Peer pressure and gang influence

• Community aspirations and youth potential

This creative approach allows adolescents to transition from passive witnesses to active voices, fostering dialogue with families and community leaders and amplifying messages of peace and accountability.

Engaging the Whole Community

Preventing youth violence requires the involvement of families, elders, and local leaders. EduFilm organizes community awareness sessions, equipping adults with strategies to identify warning signs of gang involvement and encourage mentorship.

Such community dialogues are essential in rapidly urbanizing areas where traditional social structures may be under strain. By strengthening local protective networks, the program reduces the likelihood that adolescents will turn to gangs for support or identity.

Why Local Action Matters

Grassroots organizations like EduFilm are uniquely positioned to respond to local challenges. Their proximity to the communities they serve allows them to design culturally informed, context-specific interventions.

Platforms such as Reframe.network amplify these initiatives, connecting organizations to global partners, knowledge networks, and funding opportunities, which helps scale impact and share lessons across contexts.

Turning Outrage into Opportunity

The Sherikat case was a national tragedy, but it also sparked a critical conversation about youth violence, sexual assault, and community responsibility in South Sudan.

Can storytelling and creative expression truly change the trajectory of a generation at risk?

Programs like EduFilm’s training initiative demonstrate that prevention begins long before violence occurs. Therefore, through mentorship, training, and storytelling, young people gain the skills and confidence needed to resist gang recruitment, advocate for safer neighborhoods, and envision a future beyond cycles of violence.

Investing in youth is not just about protection—it is a strategic step toward building peace, resilience, and stability in South Sudan.

Support EduFilm’s Youth Training Initiative

You can help young people in South Sudan resist gang recruitment and build safer communities. Donate, volunteer, or partner with EduFilm to support workshops, mentorship programs, and digital storytelling projects that empower adolescents to transform their lives.

Together, we can turn tragedy into opportunity and give youth the tools they need to lead peaceful, productive lives.