Parents in Eastern Equatoria forcefully auction young girls for marriage as a way to earn money and the practice can have severe consequences on the victims.
Generation in Action, a Community Based Organization based in Torit, conducted a survey on forced child marriage.Radio Emmanuel saw a copy of the report that reveals that girls are considered ready for marriage when they reach puberty.
Those who delay getting married may be scorned by the community and labelled as expired goods.
The report states that families reach marriage agreements and choose partners without the consent of the brides.
The practice of forced early marriages is attributed to the interests of parents to offer their girls to the highest bidder in form of cattle, money and other girls.
Poverty is another factor that contributes to the practice: poor families may view girls as financial burdens and consider marrying them off for their best interest.
Girls marry when their families cannot meet their basic needs or pay for them to continue schooling.
Tradition and culture play a big role where women are subservient to their husbands and other men in their family and child marriage is deeply embedded in the traditions.
Early marriage is also seen as a way to protect girls from sex before marriage and unwanted pregnancy.
The study conducted in Torit and Lofon-Lopa counties from March 2 to 29 aimed at knowing the causes and consequences of forced child marriage in Eastern Equatoria.