A civil society group in South Sudan’s Maridi State is calling on citizens to bring an end child labor, saying the vice is slowing becoming part of the culture and denies children a chance to get an education.
According to Maridi FM, the chairperson of the local Civil Society Forum Chima Jackson said people are sending young children to the streets to do business, exposing them to various risks.
“My message goes to our parents outside there. They should not continue to send their children with maize, groundnuts to the market. If they want to send, let them send but make sure that the children are back home at least by 6pm to avoid these kinds of incidents.”
Last month, a 12 year-old girl was raped by a 35 year-old man, while she was selling in the market at night. Jackson cautioned parents who are forced to expose their children to the market to ensure they are back home in time.