South Sudan Commemorates African Child Day

By Deborah Akur Chol, South Sudan

South Sudan proudly joins the global community in celebrating African Child Day, observed annually on June 16th.

This day honours the legacy of the 1976 Soweto uprising in South Africa, where students bravely protested against an inadequate education system.

African Child Day serves not only to celebrate the resilience and potential of African children but also to raise awareness about the ongoing challenges they encounter, particularly in terms of education and their fundamental rights.

Since 2002, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) has played a crucial role in promoting this day, advocating for the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

This year’s commemoration centred around the theme: “Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights in South Sudan,” a significant focus since 2010.

Students from various schools participated in the event, forming a youth parliament that provided a platform for representatives to express their concerns, including the lack of educational opportunities and the pressing issue of forced marriage among young girls.

In a compelling testament to advocacy, several young girls voiced their opposition to child marriages. A representative from the youth parliament stressed the urgent need for government action to enact laws protecting young girls from being coerced into marriage. She highlighted that many girls are married off by the age of 15, contributing to a distressing rate of mortality linked to early pregnancies, often leading to tragic outcomes in hospitals.

“Young girls are normally married off to old men who are old enough to be their grandfathers just to die at childbirth because they are too young to be wives”

Hon. Jemma Nunu Khuma, Speaker of the National Parliament, echoed this call for action, urging leaders to prioritize the creation and implementation of laws designed to protect children from child marriage.

She emphasized the importance of educating girls as a vital strategy to combat early marriages, underscoring education as a key factor in empowering young girls and ensuring their future well-being.

“Girls will always get married no matter what,so it essential for us In power to protect them and ensure they are educated for a better future”

The unified voices of these young advocates highlight the pressing need for immediate action to address child marriage and safeguard the rights of girls across the continent.