Child marriage is a violation of girls’ basic rights – to a childhood, to an education, to good health and to make decisions about her life.
UN children agency, UNICEF Officer√ɬêin-Charge Fatuma Hamidali Ibrahim said child marriage can lead to unwanted pregnancies and even death.Ms Hamidali made the statement in the eve of the twenty third anniversary of the African Child Day celebration on June 16 under the theme “Eliminating Child Marriage in South Sudan: Our Collective Responsibility.”
She said the only way to end this harmful cultural and social practice is through collective efforts from everyone in the society right from the grassroots to the policymakers level.
Deputy Minister for Gender, Child and Social Welfare Priscilla Nyanyang Joseph admitted that child marriage is still a big problem in South Sudan.
She added that it accounts for the high illiteracy rates in the country as only 6.2 percent of girls enrolled complete the full primary school cycle.