The council of ministers in South Sudan’s Yei River State on Thursday last week passed a bill aimed at protecting the rights of the girl child.
If passed into law, it will promote girl child education in the state.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Yei’s education minister, Kenyi Abiyiza John, noted that the girl child bill talks clearly about the basic rights of the girl child.
He further said cases of child marriage, school dropouts and child domestic labor are on the rise in the state.
Abiyiza pointed out that the bill had already been tabled before the state legislative assembly for approval.
“The bill would protect girl child. When it becomes a law, the community should use this law positively. What is in that bill is the promotion of girl child education because we want to ensure that our girls are taken care of,” he said.
The state minister urged citizens to eliminate bad cultures that look at girls as a source of wealth. Kenyi said any person found molesting a schoolgirl would be severely punished under the new law.
He explained that the law would punish parents who marry off their young daughters. “Parents who fail to send their daughters to school will also be punished according to the law,” he stressed.
Article 15 of the South Sudan constitution states that any person of marriageable age has the right to form a family, and Article 17 guarantees women and girls the right to consent to marriage.
Article 17 also 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.