Efforts are underway to apprehend a man who defiled two underage siblings in Jonglei State’s Ayod County, authorities said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, James Chuol Jiek Jiek, the Ayod County commissioner, said the victims are young stepsisters aged 10 and 11 and that they met their fate while in a swampy village a year ago.
“The incident took place in July last year when a young man sneaked into a place where these two young girls were sleeping and defiled them. Since last year the issue has been handled by a spiritual leader called Makuac,” he explained. “However, this year I agreed with the spiritual leader that the issue be handled by the county authorities. In July this year, I brought these minors to Ayod town and they are now under my custody.”
The county official said they are still investigating the incident.
“While the case was with the spiritual leader, a boy, 13, was arrested as a suspect. However, in our investigations, it was found that the suspect is a grown boy who escaped to the Diel area in Pigi County,” he stated. “The state governor directed me to coordinate with my Pigi counterpart so that the suspect is arrested from his hideout by soldiers in Diel.”
Article 17 of the South Sudan constitution defines a child as anyone under the age of 18.
According to the Child Act of 2008, every child has the right to be protected from sexual abuse, exploitation, and harassment, including but not limited to rape, incest, inducement, or coercion of a child to witness or engage in sexual activity.
It further says whoever commits such an offense shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years on conviction.