The medical director of Abyei’s hospitals is warning girls and women against using skin lightening cosmetics, saying some contain harmful chemicals that may increase the risk of skin cancer.

Dr Ayom Korchek said some lightening creams could cause skin diseases and cancer over time because of the chemicals they contained. He said non-harmful creams were available, but women should seek medical advice to know which were safe.

Meanwhile, some elders are saying that changing one’s natural skin colour is against community values. A community leader in Mading Jok-thiang, 75-year-old Atiop Achouth, said the use of lightening creams went against Dinka Ngok traditions and culture. He said beauty was something that could not be changed. He believed lightening creams left women looking ‘strange’, and they should be happy with their natural colour.

But some women insist they will continue using creams to alter their appearance. Achol Lal, a 28-yearold tea seller from Mabony, said she had been using lightening creams for 11 years but had never experienced any side effects. She thought the risk was worth taking because she liked the way the creams altered her skin tone.

The executive director of the Agok Administrative Unit, Dot Piok Amor, said there were plans to outlaw such creams. He said staff from the unit would liaise with the public health department and the Rummamer county authorities to see whether a law could be introduced to ban them.

Reporting by Abyei Today

File photo: Atong Ajak De Mach, former Miss Malaika, was an advocate against skin bleaching (Gurtong)