By John Agok
The Lake state legislative Assembly of South Sudan has passed customary laws to enable it aggressively tackle child and forced marriages in its jurisdiction.
Gen. Rin Tueny Mabor, the Lake State governor exposed this customary legislation document to his people over the weekend while he was attending a thanksgiving ceremony that was organised by the Lake State youth union for their governor, Makur Kulang Liei
Gen. Tueny swore not only to enforce the new regulation of prohibiting child marriage within the state but also to advocate intensively and extensively for girl child education in his prerogative.
“Education is a number one priority in Lakes State and I want to see girl child Education not child and forced marriages. We have now criminalized forced and child marriages in Lake state,” he said.
He warned all people including politicians and those who are high ranking in the society to desist from any form of child or forced marriage as they are prepared to apply this law with total impartiality and without fear of favor.
“My government will make sure that, this law codes apply equally without considering any one’s status in the Community if we are to achieve our main objective which is to allow more girls in schools and further their education,” the Gen. added.
On the other hand, in the very function Mr. Edmond Yakani the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) supported the general by directing more voice to politicians in the state to upkeep this initiative so as to girls complete their studies.
“I support the governor’s initiative and now I call upon all politicians in Lake State to rally behind him because the number of girls dropping out of schools due to forced marriage is so alarming in Lake State,” he worried.
Mr. Yakani also bent parents towards respecting the new regulation by chanting the act of looking at their daughters as property for material gains.
“My call to the parents is that, they should honour this legislation and stop watching their daughters as property that can go to the market for money,” he underlined.
The literacy rate stands at 34% in the state and a third of girls in 42 Counties are forced into Child marriage.
The Saturday function joined together Lakes State Intellectuals, Politicians, youth, women among other invited guests.
