Authorities of the Wau municipality on Wednesday cautioned operators of hotels and lodges in the area against accepting underage girls inside their premises.

The warning comes two months after authorities issued an order after a young girl was found raped and killed near a hotel in Nimratalata neighborhood.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, the town mayor, Elizabeth Mario said security personnel have been deployed to hotels and lodges in Wau town to monitor activities taking place in there.

She said it is unacceptable culturally in South Sudan to take underage girls and women into hotel rooms.

“We have deployed CID [Criminal Investigation Department] personnel to monitor people working in hotels and lodges. They will also know if there are young girls working there because hotel owners sometimes use girls as customers and spend time with them,” Mario said.

The town mayor urged young girls to avoid using their bodies as a source of income, stressing that they risk contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) or the deadly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

She urged the public to implement the order for the good of families.

South Sudan’s 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.