The education minister in South Sudan’s Maridi State, Joseph Liya Damina on Monday presented the girl child education bill to the state legislative assembly.

Speaking before the MPs, Damina said the bill provides a legal framework to protect young schoolgirls from sexual abuse, early marriages and early pregnancies.

“The state minister for education was mandated by the state government to develop the bill and it is now good that it has been referred to the assembly for deliberations and enactment,”  Damina said.

He added, “Once the bill is passed by parliament, enacted into a law and signed by the governor of Maridi State, then the document becomes a law that will be applied to address issues of sexual abuse, early pregnancies and early marriages”.

The government official further said they will not tolerate anybody who violates the new law.

Jane Pia, a state lawmaker, said the law is a wakeup call to all the parents.

“My message to them is that they should wake up and start educating their boys not to tamper with schoolgirls otherwise it will be a problem. We don’t want problems. We want the social welfare of this state to be equal, both to women and men,” she said.

She added, “We also want to make sure that the 35% [affirmative action] is being implemented because these are the girls we are targeting to be included to this 35 once they are educated”.

Article 17 the South Sudan constitution defines a child as anyone under the age of 18, and further states that the best interests of the child will be protected in all matters related to his or her life, and that they should not be subjected to exploitative practices or abuse.