Many families are focusing on providing needs to their children and neglect guiding their female teenagers who sometimes fall victim to rape and unwanted pregnancy.
Umbrella Program on Monday 17th July 2023 spoke to Ms. Achan Makuac, a mother and nurse and Mr. Achueng Deng Achueng an activist, admin, and finance manager at the Department of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare in Abyei Area administration.
Achan said the role of the family is to explain stages a female teenager is in, give advice, counseling/support and provide needs. She blamed the failure of families to undertake responsibility for mistakes the female teenagers make.
While Mr. Achueng said that teenagers, if not followed, may harm themselves due to psychological challenges associated with physical and physiological changes in their bodies.
“They could isolate themselves, feel ashamed, use any object during their menstrual periods or be exploited by older people,” he cautioned.
Achueng urged family members to care for female teenagers, spare time for them and save money for their basic needs. Community police in Abyei reported increased cases of rape among underage categories and the perpetrators sometimes evade the law.
