Too afraid to go: fears of dignity violations as reasons for non-use of maternal health services in South Sudan

South Sudan has one of the worst health and maternal health situations in the world. While maternal health services at primary care level are not well developed, even where they exist, many women do not use them. Developing location specific understanding of what hinders women from using services is key to developing and implementing locally appropriate public health interventions. This paper reports on a qualitative study conducted to gain insight into what hinders women from using maternal health services. It concludes that geographical accessibility, affordability, and perceptions related barriers to the use of maternal health services need to be addressed. Explicit attention must also be paid to address social accessibility related barriers including fears of dignity violation. Health services should work towards transforming health facilities into social spaces where all women’s and citizen’s dignity is protected and upheld.