Lakes State Social Development Ministry, International Rescue Committee, UN agencies, Oxfam and other non-governmental organizations on Tuesday gathered at Rumbek Freedom Square to mark the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.
Addressing the gathering, the Acting State Governor Jok Ayom Majak urged the public to change the bad cultures of forced marriage by giving a girl chance to choose her husband and boy to do the same, Good News Radio reported.
Mariam Paul Jibe discouraged wife inheritance, forced and early marriages that make many women end in poverty.
Lakes State United Nations Mission in South Sudan Coordinator Kwame Dagwa said ending violence against girls and women is a collective responsibility.
She called on citizens, government and all actors to challenge cultures that affect women, condemning the daily abuse of women and girls.
The theme of this year’s 16 days of activism against gender violence is: ‘Stop gender-based violence in homes and conflicts setting’.