{"id":614,"date":"2026-10-02T07:56:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T07:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/?p=614"},"modified":"2026-10-02T07:56:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T07:56:21","slug":"central-equatoria-traditional-chiefs-commit-to-ending-child-marriage-protecting-girls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/?p=614","title":{"rendered":"Central Equatoria Traditional Chiefs Commit to Ending Child Marriage, Protecting Girls"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"624\" height=\"308\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-7.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-615\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-7.png 624w, https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-7-300x148.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Paramount chiefs from Central Equatoria state, as seen, on Wednesday at Regency Hotel, signing commitments to end child marriage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Simon Deng<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Traditional chiefs from Central Equatoria State have made a strong commitment to intensify community efforts to end child marriage and strengthen the protection of girls across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paramount chiefs from Central Equatoria State signed a comprehensive commitment on Wednesday to enhance efforts to end early marriage and bolster the protection of girls throughout the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This commitment concluded a two-day chiefs&#8217; conference, where traditional leaders agreed to return to their communities and collaborate with families, government institutions, civil society, and women&#8217;s and youth organizations to prevent child marriage and safeguard girls from harmful practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nunu Diana, the Director General in the Central Equatoria State Ministry of Gender and Child Social Welfare, emphasized the need for collective action involving traditional leaders, government, civil society, and youth and women-led organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Traditional leaders have an important role to play in protecting the rights, dignity, health, and future of children. The two-day discussions highlighted the continuing challenges facing communities,&#8221; Diana stated on Wednesday during the closing of the chiefs&#8217; conference in Juba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Describing the conference as a &#8220;landmark engagement,&#8221; Diana noted that her interactions with communities earlier this year had revealed the extent of the challenges confronting girls across Central Equatoria state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Diana recounted a visit to Mugo in Yei River County, where she spoke to 10 girls aged between 13 and 15 in a market. She observed that while all were already mothers, none of the girls were attending school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;In Terekeka, many young girls are seen selling milk along the streets, appearing to be girls who should still be in school. These are visible evidences; it is not a theory, but practical evidence,&#8221; Diana asserted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph Brown, the representative of paramount chiefs in Central Equatoria state, called for continued community sensitization and cooperation among traditional leaders, government, and other stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He stated, &#8220;The engagement places traditional leaders at the center of community-led efforts to address harmful social practices, promote girls&#8217; education, and support marriage only when individuals have reached adulthood.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regina Lullo, the Director General in the National Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, stressed that progress in one county alone would be insufficient unless communities across Central Equatoria collectively addressed the practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;A number of child-marriage cases have been recorded in Terekeka County. We urge community leaders to take such commitments seriously. We are not leaving any county behind when it comes to issues of ending child marriage,&#8221; Lullo declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lullo urged traditional leaders across Central Equatoria state to leverage their influence within communities to raise awareness, prevent child marriage, and support young girls in remaining in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two-day chiefs&#8217; conference reviewed the implementation of the Traditional Authority 2026 Resolution Action Plan, which falls under the 2017\u20132030 Strategic National Action Plan on Ending Child Marriage in South Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Supported by Amref Health Africa and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the conference is part of ongoing efforts to engage traditional leaders in tackling harmful practices and protecting children&#8217;s rights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Traditional chiefs from Central Equatoria State have made a strong commitment to intensify community efforts to end child marriage and strengthen the protection of girls across the state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tdlc_coverage_id":0,"_tdlc_timeline_at":"","_tdlc_timeline_label":"","_tdno_assigned_editor":1,"_tdno_approval_notes":"","_thedawn_video_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-following"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - 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