Arranged and forced marriages: The aged-old chauvinistic weapon killing young girls in the patriarchal South Sudan

By Amer Mayen Dhieu, Brisbane, Australia

Saturday, July 18, 2020 (PW) — The normalised primitive practice of arranged and forced marriage is causing a lot of anguish and regrettable death among teenage girls and young women of South Sudan. Recently, there has been rampant death of young girls at the hands of their loved ones.

Sadly, these perpetrators are either their male siblings or male relatives or male suitors. The killers are the very people among whom these vulnerable girls and women have invested their trust for protection and safety.

The most recent killing of a young girl happened in Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, where one teenager was mercilessly gunned down by a male soldier whom the deceased had refused his marriage proposal. The young girl was mowed down in a broad daylight. Three of her friends escaped with serious, traumatic gun wounds.

In Lakes state, another young girl was beaten to death by her male relatives and siblings after she got impregnated out of wedlock, a practice usually deemed culturally unacceptable among the Dinka community. Becoming pregnant out of wedlock is perceived to bring shame upon the family and to reduce the potential amount of dowry price that the girl can fetch for her family.

These are just few examples among horrific numerous others since South Sudan got her independence in July 2011. That independence did not translate into freedom and liberty for all genders in South Sudan as girls and women are still under the heavy yoke of male chauvinism perpetuated by a patriarchal South Sudanese society.

There is no customary law that support honour killing in Dinka culture unlike the middle Eastern cultures. Neither does the constitution of South Sudan support any of these illegal practices. Therefore, under what circumstances could this continue to happen, day in day out, under the watch of the government?

There is an urgent need to protect the lives of young girls and women from this male violence against girls and women across South Sudan.

Dinka people specifically have their own ways of dealing with women affairs. Unlike other chauvinistic and misogynistic cultures around the globe, Dinka people have unique, although sometimes conflicting, ways of nourishingly bringing up their female children.

Despite the fact that a Dinka girl is generally perceived as family asset to be traded off later for dowry, a Dinka girl is more secure and well-guarded at parental home more than at her marital home.

However, this practice does not always bear positive gains as intended. What appeared as protection and nourishment of a girl child often lead to overprotection, overcontrolling and an advancement of male dominant culture and influence which interfere gradually with girl individuality.

As the girl grows up, self-autonomy become an issue. Most male relatives and siblings advance maledom to her choices and her life decisions and in return, conflict arise especially when a young girl begin to exercise her autonomy as an adult.  

Although the intention of the ‘male guardians’ might be sincere and good for the welfare of the young girl, the consequences of not respecting individuality and autonomy in young girls and women usually end in shameful death and loss to the family.

More often than not, egotistical chauvinism usually demonise and demoralise girls by giving men unearned and underserved license to exercise a sense of dominance to subordinate and control young girls and women even in personal matters relating to their own individual affairs. 

While majority of South Sudanese civilians (men and women alike) are perishing as a result of the political and inter-communal wars in South Sudan, majority of young girls and women, particularly among the pastoral communities in the Upper Nile and Bahr el Ghazal regions, are battling chauvinistic weapon of gender-based violence through arranged and forced marriages.

For the most toxically masculinised Dinka families, the moment a young girl choose different path from what is expected of her by the male relatives of the family, the question of ownership rises its ugly head over and above individual choice and autonomy.

For most Dinka families, the choice of who to marry depend upon your parents and mostly male relatives. This is also tricky in a sense that girls are still given relative autonomy to choose who they can date and be in relationship with without much interference from family and members of public until when the girl decide to get marry. 

Despite being given a chance to exercise her choice on who to date, this chance have limitations in the sense that some suitors are aware of the power that family, and mostly male relatives, have on girl’s ability to choose who she might want to settle down with.

Arranged and Forced marriage is an outdated practice that should never happen to anyone in this century leave alone killing a woman for refusing to marry a total stranger that she feel no intimate connection with. It is appalling to see young girls being eliminated this way without severe consequences being faced by their killers. 

The behaviour of murdering a teenage girl simply because of her refusal to accept other people’s choice is absurd, primitive and nauseating. For many people, marriage is the last stage of personal development and it’s important that women make their own choice as part of their autonomy.

It is high time that majority of Dinka families who support and practice this inhuman and illegal practice of killing their girls are brought to justice. It is also a high time for the South Sudanese government, particularly the Chief of Justice, to look into the action of his military men.

Being a military personnel is a huge statement entailing discipline, integrity and commitment to civilians protection and safety. Any military personnel committing such horrific crime is likely to have not been fully trained and should have never been allowed to carry a gun.

Such egregious actions beget national shame for the country. If indeed South Sudan is a legitimate member of United Nation, then this practice of gender based violence is against United Nation charter of Human rights.

As the newest member of the UN, South Sudan should enact appropriate policies and laws to promote women empowerment and equality by combating forced marriage, child marriage and SGBV in South Sudan.

The author, Amer Mayen Dhieu, the co-founder and executive director for the Twic East Girls Scholarship Program (TEGSP), received her Bachelor of Social Science degree, majoring in Psychology and Human Services from the Christian Heritage College in Brisbane, Queensland, and her Masters of International Relations, majoring in International Security and Human Rights, from Griffith University in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She is also the founder and executive director of ChildBride Solidarity (CBS), a South Sudan-based women-led (WRO) and rights organization (WRO) that advocates for Women Empowerment and ending Child, Early and Forced (CEF) marriages in South Sudan. Amer is currently pursuing her second masters degree in Gender and Women Studies at Flinders University, Australia. She can be reached via her email: mayendhieu90@gmail.com.

About Post Author