By Peter Kuol Kuch
Jonglei State civil society network has condemned an incident of forced marriage that forced the girl to commit suicide.
Last week, an 18-year-old girl tragically ended her precious life because she was compelled by her parents to marry an older man with multiple wives.
According to local reports in Bor, a girl named ‘Apiel’, was an ambitious young woman who sought to change her future through education, which her parents denied by opting to marry her off to a wealthy man.
Speaking to this publication, James Manyang, the Secretary General for the Jonglei civil society network, says that forcing young girls into marriage constitutes a severe human rights violation.
“She viewed that when getting married to that old man, her life was going to be horrible, and so she decided to end her life, that’s what we are getting from her parents. But that is sad news,” he said.
He condemns the act and attributes it to ignorance and backwardness.
Mr. James believes that girls should not be seen as sources of wealth but should be valued and allowed to pursue their dreams.
“Truly, many sensitisations have been done to the local chiefs and some relevant community leaders, and of course none has materialised – so there is a need to do more awareness about the dangers of forced and early marriages,” he states.
He emphasises the necessity to increase awareness regarding the dangers of early and forced marriages among local communities in Jonglei State.
“As the Jonglei civil society network, we strongly condemn the incident, and we urge the government to investigate this issue and hold the culprits accountable,” he said.
Forced and early marriages are quite rampant and are still practised by most Nilotic communities in Jonglei State; they are characterised by suicidal activities, killings, among others.