Stop forcing girls into marrying unloved partners; educate them for the future

By Archangelo Adup, Rumbek, South Sudan

Sunday, April 28, 2019 (PW) — This morning, I was reading a news from Radio Tamazuj and I saw a very disturbing news of a girl beaten to death by her parents because she refused to marry a man arranged by the parents to marry her in Eastern Lakes (Yirol).

Not only this news, but there have been several reports that girls are being forced to marry those they didn’t love and others are forced to sleep with them because they did not want the men. Has justice become blunt and blind that these practices are being condoned? What happened to our government and where is the constitution governing and regulating our nation?

I know it is not easy to publish this article but it is better to speak up rather than seeing society driving to a different direction. South Sudan became independent to have a better life by having access to quality education, health, clean water and good infrastructure/roads and affordable food and living. But what do we see today? Evil has engulfed everywhere.

Corruption is rampant in public and private offices and nothing is being done about it. Bad governance and brutal torture of the innocent civilians without cause, abuse from the national army and other organized forces, sexual immorality and idolatry have become the orders of the day. Our practices have become evil and filthy.

Hunger and thirst are hitting on us hard and many people are displaced because of the few individual selfish and power hungry people. Bible tells us that our wickedness keeps us away from God and unless we repent and stop paying homage to Devil, we will never see his face. All these evil deeds and actions are happening because we have abandoned him (God).

Let us accept Christ and make him our model. Let us repent from corruption, sexual immorality, idolatry and other filthy acts that keep us away from him. Why do we call ourselves Christians when our actions and deeds are contrary to Christ? Why do we love living in darkness when we know that through light, we are made holy?

We suffer because of our own deeds and actions. But remember, God our loving father is waiting for us to receive us back like prodigal son. Let us come before him with humility and open heart and he will receive us back. Confirm with me those in Yirol East.

Is this news true? If it is, why doing that? Why killing our daughters because they refuse to marry when they are still young? Why forcing them to people they didn’t love? We need to stop this habit and practice. Unless we change our bad practices, we will never taste civilization and modernization that is positive.

It is not time to still force our daughters, sisters to men they do not love. Marriage is a sacred institution established by God to honor him and glorify him. Marriage is not about wealth, it is about love and union between the two opposite sex (Male and female) coming together and form one body.

Let us heed the messages God gives us through his word (Holy Bible). Let us understand what marriage is and the procedures of marriage. Let us first educate our daughters and sisters and we will enjoy at last the fruits of educating them. Wealth will come alone. Cows are temporal and can be raided and can easily die at any time.

Why beating girl to death because she refused the man? Imagine if it were you, how will you feel to be forced to a man you do not love? Men force girls to unloved partners and they do not think of themselves first. What I happened to be your dad and I force you to marry a girl you don’t love, what would you do?

Let us discourage this practice and look at the future of our girls. How will they live? Will they come back to us asking for help or we need them to have their own beautiful life with their husbands? Young people who are educated must fight against these bad practices. We are making human life a valueless thing.

It has become like our devalued pounds against dollars. Life is precious and holy. It comes from God and only to God will it return only by natural death not by another man’s hands. Seeing the article/news on Radio Tamazuj this morning on the girl beaten to death by her parents because she refused to marry a man arranged for her is a bad sign.

Let’s take lead and fight for change in our society and nation South Sudan. Let us accept transformation in our lives. Let us go out of our comfort zone and accept challenges from outside.

As I wind up this article, please, youth, our parents and our leaders, let us change our negative attitudes and practices and accept transformation to hit us and change us.

You can reach the author via his email: Archangelo Adup <jinaadup@gmail.com>

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