The commitment to education for girls and young women is not just a personal choice; it is the cornerstone of a stronger, more resilient community. Around the world, educated women drive progress, yet in South Sudan, we are constantly fighting an old, damaging battle. Our girls are being marginalized taken as housewives and, tragically, traded as sources of immediate wealth.

This practice is fuelled by desperation and a lack of awareness. Impoverished parents, often uneducated themselves, unknowingly trade their daughters for dowries, mistaking fleeting richness for long-term security. They ignore the profound importance of educating a girl, a girl who could lift her entire family and community out of poverty permanently.

The problem isn’t limited to economic hardship alone. Exploitation is rampant across society. Young women who have begun their studies are too often targeted and seduced by individuals whether they are powerful government officials, businessmen, or even teachers who use money and influence as their weapon.

We must ask ourselves: In the midst of our nation’s many struggles, why is education not prioritized as the first agenda item for a young woman before marriage? To my sisters: Focus on your future. Reject the short-term lure of quick money. Your time is coming. Study, become self-sufficient, and choose a partner who respects your full potential, not one who merely purchases your youth.

The fight for education in South Sudan has always been an uphill battle. During the colonial era, missionaries stepped into the vacuum, creating the first formal systems to empower Southerners with learning skills. This was done to groom active citizens for nation-building.

However, after independence, civil wars repeatedly crippled our education system. Successive regimes manipulated education through policies like Arabization, and schools in conflict zones were left with nothing to offer. The struggle that led to the formation of the SPLM/A was, in part, a fight to secure dignity and essential services, including education, for the Southern Sudanese people.

Citizens, must hold leaders accountable for upholding the vision of that struggle. Today, the failure to prioritize gender education has devastating consequences, particularly in war-affected areas where girls are disproportionately targeted by violence and exploitation.

While laws against underage marriage and gender-based violence exist, they often remain dormant, acting only in the “hands of the beholder.” This leaves the future of our girls dangerously uncertain. The time for empty promises is over.

I appeal directly to the government of South Sudan to Implement strict, non-negotiable laws to abolish underage marriage, and most crucially, provide free, accessible education for all girls across the nation.

Let our investments be in pencils, books, and classrooms not in cows and dowries. Let us protect the daughters who will build the South Sudan of tomorrow.

God protect South Sudan.

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