A teenage boy sentenced for sexually assaulting his 9-year-old cousin sister was sent to a six-month reformatory school on Wednesday.
17-year-old Abusala, not his real name, committed the crime on the 3rd of March 2022 in Juba, according to the Gender-Based Violence Court.
He is also fined with 700 thousand South Sudanese pounds in compensation, an amount the victim’s family turned down.
The GBV Court Judge Francis Amum Awin, who presided over the hearing, said the convict was residing with the survivor at the time of the incident.
The victim’s mother was reportedly shopping at Konyo-konyo market, when Abusala called her daughter before abusing her.
Upon his indictment, the accused had confessed to his wrongdoings, but he later pleaded not guilty.
However, the court considered his previous statement of confession and ruled that the teenager’s act is tantamount to sexual assault and incest.
Judge Francis Amum Awin found the Juvenile offender guilty of sexual defilement, which is in contravention to section 247/2 of the Child Act 2008.
“Juvenile offender is to be sent to the reformatory school establishment to spend six months on necessary education, his attitudes toward women and girls be repaired, rehabilitated, and integrated into the society where gender equality is at play with effect from 1 /June / 2022,” Amum pronounced the sentence.
Judge Amum cited international standards which provide that sexual activities are considered as violence when committed against a child by another child.
The judge also informed the minor of his right to appeal the sentence within fifteen days.
The Child Act 2008 provided that the sentencing of a child shall be reasonable and proportionate to the circumstances and gravity of the offense as well as the circumstances and needs of the child.
The Act provides that before a juvenile offender is sent to reformatory school, he/she and the parents are obliged to fulfill the processes of reconciliation, compensation, restitution, apology, caution and a probation order.
For her part, the girl’s mother is calling on parents to monitor the behavior of youth who living within the vicinity of their children.
Mary, not her real name, says keeping an eye on adolescents will prevent such immoral acts from happening.
“As mother I am advising mothers to monitor the behavior of teenagers who are in their home. Adolescents deal with girls or even children in the home, because you cannot guarantee all their behaviors,” the mother said.
“If you notice any suspicious behavior, keep your children away from them. Its wasn’t my intending to take the case to court, I just wanted to discipline him in the police station and release him, but the police officers told me that this is a violation of the right of the child,” she added.
Incest, a human sexual activity between family members or close relatives, is typically considered socially unacceptable and is legally forbidden in many countries across the world.