Government Should Protect and Support Girls Who Refuse Forced Marriage
March 7, 2013
(Juba)
– The government of South Sudan should increase efforts to protect
girls from child marriage, Human Rights Watch said in a report released
today, on the eve of International Women’s Day. The country’s widespread
child marriage exacerbates South Sudan’s pronounced gender gaps in
school enrollment, contributes to soaring maternal mortality rates, and
violates the right of girls to be free from violence, and to marry only
when they are able and willing to give their free consent.
According
to government statistics, close to half (48 percent) of South Sudanese
girls between 15 and 19 are married, with some marrying as young as age
12.
The
95-page report, “‘This Old Man Can Feed Us, You Will Marry Him:’ Child
and Forced Marriage in South Sudan,” documents the consequences of child
marriage, the near total lack of protection for victims who try to
resist marriage or leave abusive marriages, and the many obstacles they
face in accessing mechanisms of redress. It is based on interviews with
87 girls and women in Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria, and Jonglei
states, as well as with government officials, traditional leaders,
health care workers, legal and women’s rights experts, teachers, prison
officials, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations, the
United Nations, and donor organizations.
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