Different chiefs converged to discuss on the implementation of the strategic national action plan on ending child marriage and to commit their individual responsibility to see child marriage end starting with their communities.
The traditional Chiefs conference was part of the initiatives to end Child marriage by engaging the duty bearers and men to change the negative social norms and cultural practices that are harmful. The gathering offered an opportunity for learning and sharing among the chiefs and commitments to support the rights of women and girls through ending child marriage and supporting girls to fulfill their full potential.
During the opening of the three-day event, the national Minister of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare, Hon. Aya Benjamin Warille said,
“I appreciate the support and effort in putting this conference and gathering traditional Chiefs together with other stakeholders because only with the commitment by all stakeholders can we end child marriage in South Sudan. Our girls and daughters are suffering in various communities and we are all seeing this happen yet we should protect and support them. We ALL have a role to play in Ending Child marriage” Minister Warille urges the Chiefs.
Dr. Kidane Abraha, the head of Integrated Sexual Reproductive Health said that various states had reviewed and made significant progress on the implementation of the Strategic National Action Plan on ending child marriage. emphasizing that collectively child Marriage can be ended in South Sudan.
The first conference held four years ago was a key milestone in history which brought together all the paramount chiefs from all the former thirty-two states of South Sudan and the Abyei administrative area that started a journey to raise awareness on short term and long terms effects of child marriage and set a stage to create strategies on protecting young girls against child marriage and other harmful practices. The conference also brought representatives of Chiefs from Malawi who shared experience with their South Sudanese chiefs.
The National champion to end child marriage, Hon. George Echom noted that the effects of child marriage and early childbearing are enormous which included dangers of fistula, vicious cycle of poverty, increased percentage of illiterate citizens as girls are married off without attending school. He challenged the Chiefs, Civil Society Organizations, and the Government to swiftly act.
“We have denied access to education to our women and girls, without bringing women on board, we won't go forward, and for us to make huge strides, we need to take girls to school, we also need to break the negative norms and attributes of our cultures which have become enemies to our prosperity” Hon Ochom noted.
He also cautioned men and Chiefs for marrying young girls whom he said end up becoming burdensome, “Chiefs, when u marry a child as a wife, you will have stress throughout your life, trust me, you will have a baby, not a wife, marrying children as wives is stressful, this must stop, and to move this country forward, we need to move away from harmful traditional practices” he added
This year’s Conference was a follow-up event with traditional leaders and the State Ministries of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare to review the implementation of SNAP on ending child marriage, and in line with, The Palm Africa Declaration of 2019, 2020, and 2021 action plans. Different states resolved individually to end child marriage and other harmful traditional practices in their respective states.
“Child marriage is a contributing factor to why girls don’t finish theireducation. We should allow girls to be girls and not make them brides. We remain committed to ending child marriage and ensuring girls attain their full potential” said Amb. Ms. Linken Berryman, of Norway.
