Eastern Equatoria state Minister for Culture and Social Development has condemned the practice of giving girls as compensation for murder, warning that the bad cultural usages must stop.
Patrick Lodinga Loteen said people who offer girls for compensation and those receiving them will all face the courts of law if they are caught.He added that the person who commits murder should be held liable for the crime instead of offering an innocent child to suffer for crimes committed by another person.
The minister also recounted various sufferings of children in Eastern Equatoria state including killings during cattle raids, sexual abuses and child labour.
Mr Lodinga cited the continuous killing of children in Abyei, South Kordofan and other war affected areas on African continent.
Field Location Manager for War Child-Holland, Bernard Onen, criticized early marriage among the communities in Eastern Equatoria.
He said in some cases girls are forced to marry against their will, an act that amounts to child abuse.
Mr Onen advised parents to allow their girls to study instead of forcing them into marriage, saying educating a girl is equal to educating a nation.
The officials made these statements during Saturday’s African Child Day celebrations in Torit.