Protect South Sudan children from sexual abuses
By Charles Olukok Onyo-Ihari Langairio
July 8, 2007 — The nation of South Sudan has just come out of 40 plus years of war between North Sudan controlled government and animist Christians in the south of the country. The 22 years of war led to conclusive agreement known as the CPA. The SPLA/M leader Dr. Garang was killed in accident that left the country into turmoil and more lives were claimed, Late Dr. Garang was a Christian believer and has been associated with religion leaders in the liberated areas of New Sudan, during the war New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) played an important role in promoting peace, democracy, development and human rights respect within the movement and their ruled citizens.
As the CPA been implemented slowing, the nation still face lot of problems that may retard the development and also that can tarnished the name, authorities and GOSS administration in general. South Sudan are Christian majority and as the peace is been achieved many religious organizations are going to pour in to spread the gospel about Jesus Christ and the message from Mohamed. This give me a dark look of these religious groups activities in the country and I doubt that some Religious groups will divert from their objectives and involve in activities that are in illegal and my questions are “How can we safe our war orphans from been sodomized by the so called believers from religion leaders in our country? And what can be done to our religious leaders that abuse, molester, sexually assaulted children? As per this story and our rampant corruption the culprits may escape and continue to exploit the poor and keep quite from exposing these individuals because they have no were to turn.
The ministry in charge of Widows, widower, orphans and the wounded, ministry of Children and family affairs if it exists should or must instituted laws for the adoption and protection of children. Human trafficking is high around the world and I belief soon South Sudan with weak laws will be a crime jurisdiction.
As we have freedom of conscience and religion practise ,it is our responsibilities as concern citizens to help monitor the mistreatment and exploitation of the poor children who are either victims of war, family violence ,refugees, asylum seekers and lack of school fees and other frustrations that forced them under the streets and the churches.
The churches that abuse children must be closed and the their leaders arrested and charged but as you will some of you read the story of Kitaka and Lukyamuzi in Uganda monitor dated 8/7/2007 the law enforcement officers also play an important role in supporting this to continue, how can a file disappear and how do you free the suspect without been tried in court of law or hearing both sides of the story. This makes everything frustrating but the media should continue informing and educating the people with programs on human trafficking, homosexuality and any sex that we practise in this world especially how the rich use their money to exploit our poor people, how those in big offices uses their office to abuse their powers, ethics and the national laws. How priest, pastors, imams cause trouble to the people/congregations they are serving and helping to change their lives.
What can be done to our Religion Leaders that abuse, molester and sexually assaulted Children?
The below are some of the tips which I think can help our Religion and policy makers to solve the problems that affect our children’s and to bring the criminals into book. Please help our GOSS government by suggesting many ways of helping our new generation to live in peaceful environment where there is no fear, intimidation, harassment and exploitation.
1. All churches, NGOs that handle children on streets, adopted one etc and their leaders must be registered and monitored.
2. All adopted children by churches, NGOs and their leaders must be registered, agreement signed with strict laws. Any body that failed to abide by those stipulated laws in agreement must be questioned and their activities stopped.
3. Families or next of keen, if not available the government official must be put as next of keen in agreement letter and makes sure they make regular visits to these adopted children and their adopters.
4. The children ,their families, relative and adopters must sensitized on human rights abuse, national laws for the protection of this kids, pastors, families and the consequences which may resulted in case of abuse.
5. The school administration should be keen in registrations of children and their names should be crossed check by their families and next of keen.
6. The government should subsidize the Church and NGOs services by giving some money for children to help them buy some basic needs.
7. Government officials and other human rights organization in the country must carry out constant awareness to both children and their families including their adopters.
8. The children must be encouraged to report any bad activity-example forced labour, molestation or sodomy and any other form of abuse.
9. The police, CID and the ministry of justice must control their officers from abuse of office and make sure that any case reported should be heard by competent court and the culprits should be assumed innocent until proved by the court of law in fair manner.
10. All citizens should monitor the activities that are deemed suspicious and they should report these to any law enforcement officers or the concerned ministry, or department.
11. SSLA must passed strict laws to protect the children and their adopters, families, foreigners and the citizens in Sudan or South Sudan and also institute laws that protect and restrict the exploitation of children by foreigners who came in the name of saving the war torn South Sudan Children and orphans, streets kids and other solutions they come with must be checked out by our experts from South Sudan.
12. The abusers must be exposed and charged.
13. Refugees and asylum seekers children must also be protected from exploitation by the citizens of Southern Sudan and other organizations that protect the interests and welfare of Refugees and other immigrants in the country.
In nut shell I believe we as Southern Sudanese are in need of help of any kind but we must be careful in soliciting this help. The church must serve its objectives of transmitting the good news to the poor and it should abstain herself from engaging in activities that are illegal and which does not included in her mission objectives.
The law enforcement and other public employees should be paid regularly to avoid them in engaging in trafficking, office abuse and other activities that rib our society. Those who abuse their offices must be relieved and charged to avoid the next officer to engage in the same activity. Any Religion leader involving in abuse of his duties as stipulated in the church laws and the national Constitution should be punished, any suspicious leader must be reported to the concern department/office. The commission in charge of corruption, ethics and accountability must be straightened and educated on this sensitive area.
It is our obligation (responsibilities and duties) as concern citizens to protect and promote our Constitutions, government and make sure that no article, law is abused by any law enforcement agencies and by us citizens of South Sudan and Sudan as a country. The story in Sunday monitor of Uganda has strike my heart and forced me to thinks ways to address similar problems not to happen in our country or a least take some precautionary measures, there is world report of the church abusing ,molesting ,sexual assaults of Children, many pastors, catholic priest had been arrested for involving in above bad activity amongst their congregations and children in their schools.
The author is the Moderator of South Sudan Concern Citizens International-(SSCCI). He can be reached at [email protected]