Lawmaker Juol Nhomngek Daniel is urging the South Sudan government to address the issues of child and forced marriage, as well as gender-based violence. Reports have shown that 52% of South Sudanese girls are married before the age of 18, often due to poverty and economic challenges.
To combat this, organizations like Save the Children are working to improve educational opportunities for girls and young mothers who have been affected by early marriages and pregnancies. Through initiatives such as the Multi-Year Resilience Program, over 1,000 young mothers have been supported in resuming their studies.
Save the Children focuses on building capacity for teachers, strengthening school governance, and promoting inclusive policies in South Sudan’s education sector. By providing mentorship, life skills training, and dignity kits, they aim to help young mothers balance their education with their responsibilities.
Changing cultural mindsets that view girls as economic assets through marriage is a key challenge, but through education and mentorship programs, positive perceptions about gender equality and education are being promoted.
The ultimate goal is to achieve long-term systemic change through enforcing laws against child marriage and supporting policies that promote gender equity in alignment with international human rights laws.