A/HRC/14/41 of the application of sharia laws to non-Muslims. On 3 July 2009, the Public Order Police arrested 13 Muslim and non-Muslim women from a privately-owned restaurant and charged them with “indecent dressing”. Some of the women were allegedly slapped and harassed. A judge in a Public Order Court found most of them guilty and sentenced them to lashing and the payment of fines or, in the alternative, imprisonment. On 18 November 2009, a 16 year old non-Muslim Sudanese girl was sentenced by a Public Order Court to 50 lashes for “indecent dressing” for having worn a skirt and blouse. IV. Southern Sudan 30. The independent expert visited Juba, Wau and Aweil, respectively in Central Equatoria, Western Bahr el Gazal and Northern Barh el Ghazel States from 20 to 30 January 2010. A. Inter-communal violence 31. In Southern Sudan, civilians continue to lose their lives in inter-tribal violence. The violence has been mostly fuelled by old unresolved conflicts, competition for grazing land and pasture, water resources and cattle rustling. In recent times, the motive for the attacks has been changing from traditional cattle rustling to organized cattle banditry and laundering. It is estimated that at least 2,500 people have lost their lives in these conflicts. On 20 September, Lou Nuer tribesmen encircled the Dinka village of Duk Padiet in Jonglei State and killed at least 70 of the villagers. Also killed in the same incident were 11 SPLM soldiers, 13 NISS personnel and 4 Southern Sudan Police Service (SSPS) personnel. On 16 and 17 November 2009, armed men from the Mundari tribe launched two concerted attacks on areas inhabited by the Aliab tribes of Awerial County, Lake State, killing at least 50 people. Between December 2009 and January 2010, a series of attacks allegedly carried out by Nuer tribesman led to the killing of 31 people and the wounding of 19 others in Tonj North and Gogrial East Counties, Warrap State. Fighting between Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups from 15 to 18 January in Fangak County also left 42 people dead and 25 wounded. In February 2010, 20 civilians, including a county court judge, were killed and 30 others injured in violence between security forces and armed civilians in Cuebiet, Lake State. 32. A very disturbing feature of the above conflicts is the targeting of women and children, in particular the abduction of children. More than 200 children have been abducted in Jonglei State since January 2009. In August 2009, the police, for the first time, arrested suspected child abductors in Jonglei and rescued 12 children from captivity. 33. The Government of South Sudan and State authorities, with the support of the United Nations, have actively promoted peace and reconciliation efforts between communities involved in inter-tribal conflicts. In Aweil State, authorities convened several peace conferences between the Dinka and Misseriyah tribes, which have in a way reduced incidents of violence. In spite of these efforts, however, there continues to be abundant availability of small conventional arms in the hands of the civilian population, which has helped fuel the violence. The attempt by the Government of South Sudan to disarm the civilian population has been met with fierce resistance from local communities, who claim that the Government does not have the adequate police and security apparatus to protect them in the event of attacks. 34. While the SPLA and the SSPS have been responsible for security in South Sudan since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Government of South Sudan has not put in place an effective mechanism that fully guarantees the protection and security of the population. Critical in this regard is the need to establish and strengthen justice and 8 GE.10-13648