A young woman in South Sudan has been beaten to death by her brothers for refusing to marry a suitor who is said to have offered her family 40 cows as dowry.
Taban Abel, a state minister in Sudan, said the 20-year-old was punished by her brothers in the town of Yirol in Eastern Lakes State because she turned down a marriage proposal from a suitor her family had chosen.
Mr Abel, Minister of Information in Eastern Lakes, told Radio Tamazuj that Nyaluk Magorok’s parents forced the girl to marry a man who offered 40 cows to the family as dowry – an amount of property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage.
He said the man allegedly responsible for the girl’s death had been arrested to face murder charges – adding that the girl’s father had also been jailed to face the law.
“The father was [the] one who ordered people to kill his daughter because she refused to get married,” he said.
He condemned the killing and said forced marriage continues to be a challenge in the state.
The official added: “This is a barbaric act that needs immediate intervention from the government. This is the second incident of its kind because last year a girl was impregnated and then her father beat her to death”.
Many families in South Sudan forcibly marry off their daughters for dowry – including girls who are under the age of 18. In November 2018, a girl aged between 16 and 17 was forcibly married after a controversial auction on Facebook. (Independent)
