South Sudan Law Society Legal Aid Officer in Yei River County of Central Equatoria State is telling parents to avoid forcing their children for marriage in demand for dowry.
Speaking to Radio Easter in an exclusive interview Data John Losukwa while quoting sections from South Sudan Child Act 2008 says forced marriage violates the rights of a person to choose, warning that the law would punish parents who encourage the practice.
He tells parents to report cases of child rights and abuses to the authority so that perpetrators face justice.
Mr John cites rape, forced marriages, education denial, child labor and strenuous punishment as some abuses against the rights of children, urging the judiciary to ensure that reported abuses are immediately followed for accountability and justice.
The Legal Aid Officer partly attributes continuous violation of children’s rights to lack of massive community awareness on existing child laws, by-laws, rigid cultures and improper implementation of laws.