| Overview : Child marriage is a violation of human rights and is prohibited by several international conventions and other instruments. Gender inequality is one of the causes of child marriage as much as it is also a consequence of it. Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development calls all UN Member States to achieve gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls specifically aiming to eliminate all harmful practices, such as early child and forced marriages and female genital mutilation. South Sudan has taken steps in line with the 2030 Agenda and international human rights instruments to respond to this practice. However, the measures taken to tackle child marriages are not enough. This is affected by numerous factors like gaps in existing laws and poor coordination among government institutions whose mandates are to protect children from abuse. Other limitations also include the absence of guidelines about how these institutions should address child marriage cases, systematic problems in the justice system, such as lack of infrastructure, resources and well-trained personnel, as well as lack of awareness that child marriage is a violation of a child’s rights and constitutes gender-based crimes. |
