Photo: (UNICEF SouthSudan/Chol).

A law firm in collaboration with a civil society organization filed a criminal case at Wau Police Station in Western Bahr el Ghazal State against a father for allegedly forcibly marrying off his 14 years daughter.

The police case was filed on Thursday by Legal Action Worldwide, a law firm on behalf of the complainant – Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO).

In an interview with Eye Radio, the complainant’s lawyer, Advocate James Kulang, narrated that the family attempted to force the girl into marriage on November 29 before the minor escaped.

Kulang then filed a criminal case against the child’s father and the man who attempted to marry her. The case is classified as a public rights case due to the girl’s state of being a minor.

“We were asked by a coalition of civil society organizations to help them to open a criminal case against the father and husband accused of marrying a 14-year-old girl in Wau on November 29,” he said.

“The girl had refused the marriage and fled the wedding site. She has not been found yet and the case has become a public right case because the girl is a minor.”

Kulang added that the prosecutor summoned the father and would-be husband to hear their testimonies on the charges against him.

He said the Special Protection Unit (SPU) is now handling the investigation and efforts are underway to locate the girl and provide her with shelter in a safe house.

“We opened a report with the Public Prosecution, which began the procedures by summoning the father and husband this morning to take their statements regarding the charges against them.”

“The Special Protection Unit is currently investigating the case and is seeking to find the girl to take her to a safe house.”

On his part, CEPO’s Regional Coordinator in Wau Stephen Robo Musa confirmed that the organization has filed a criminal case against a father accused of forcing his 14-year-old daughter into marriage without her consent, a violation of South Sudanese law.

CEPO has urged families to prioritize the safety and welfare of their children. Musa stressed that home should be a safe haven for children, where their rights and futures are protected.

“We, as a civil society organization, decided to take a step and today we filed a criminal report against the father for forcing his minor daughter, who is 14 years old, to marry without her consent, which is a crime according to South Sudanese law.”

“We submitted our statements to the public prosecutor after filing the report and the police are currently investigating the case and the case will soon be referred to court. We call on families to protect their children and tell them that there is no safe place other than home.”

According to UN children’s agency UNICEF, child marriage is still a common practice in South Sudan with 52% of girls being married off before they turn 18 and some girls married off as young as 12 years old.