Amnesty International is calling on the government of South Sudan to provide justice for a 20-year-old girl killed for refusing to marry in Yirol.
Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East Africa Joan Nyanyuki on Saturday said the forced marriage that resulted in her death only highlights the need for an urgent end to the practice.
The official points out that forcing someone to marry against her will is a clear violation of South Sudan constitution and international human rights obligations.
Nyanyuki calls on the government to immediately hold the responsible individuals to account.
The Director was reacting to a statement that a 20-year-old girl was killed in South Sudan for refusing to marry a man her family had selected for her.
The official says the practice of forcing young girls and women to marry is a cruel manifestation of the large inequality between men and women in South Sudan.
Amnesty is calling on the government of South Sudan to take urgent steps to end early, forced and child marriage.
The body also wants the government of the young country to ensure that individuals perpetrating this form of gender-based violence and violating laws are brought to book.
Amnesty International says women and girls’ rights must be protected.
According to a 2017 UNICEF study, 52 percent of South Sudanese girls are married when they are 18 years old.