WUNRN
Southern Sudan - Forced Marriage - Journalist's Personal Story
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Internews Christine Akuol, who is being trained by Internews to be a
community radio journalist, is interested in reporting on women's issues and
encouraging girls to stay in school. |
(March 8, 2010) “As a journalist
I know that part of my job is to empower the community,” says Christine Akuol,
a reporter at Mayardit FM in Turalei, southern
Akuol has a personal interest in
covering issues of importance for women and girls, because she was forced into
marriage at the age of 16.
In 2006, Akuol was abducted by
five men, locked in a room overnight and then informed that she was to be the
wife of one of the men. Though her father was angered by the way she was taken,
within a week he had arranged for the man to pay a bride price and forced his daughter
to leave school and become a housewife.
“I was completely shattered; my
life had come to a stop. My father had betrayed me by allowing me to get
married to this man. I was 16 and not ready for marriage at all, I had dreams
of studying and becoming a pilot, but that wasn’t to be. I cried everyday and
felt very bitter every time I saw other children going to school. Sometimes I
would wear my uniform and just imagine that I was going to school. It was the
worst time of my life.”
Nine months later, Akuol’s
husband had failed to provide the agreed-upon dowry for his bride, so Akuol’s
father appealed in court and decided to bring his daughter – now pregnant and
unable to return to school – back home.
This year, the community’s new
radio station gave Akuol, still hungry to learn and use her education, an
opportunity.
“After my experience I wanted to
try to change a few things in my community. I got what I would call a second
chance; I never ever dreamt of being a journalist after becoming a housewife
but here I am. I heard that Internews was recruiting reporters for a radio
station in Turalei and I decided to apply,” says Akuol.
Mayardit FM went on air in
February and Akuol has already recorded several half-hour programs that deal
with women’s issues.
“My best so far is one that I did on forced marriage. I had to do a program on
that since it had happened to me.”
In her program Akuol spoke to
three women who were married against their will at ages 13, 14 and 15. One
woman spoke of how she almost died while delivering her first child a year
after marriage, and now, at the age of 20, has four children.
“One of the things I want to do
is to tell our parents that forcing us into marriage is not good for us,” says
Akuol. “Dinka girls, just like boys, have a right to education. As
a girl I should also be given the chance to plan my life and decide what I want
to be in future and to also marry a man that I love and not one that is forced
on me. I just looked around at myself and my friends who were married off
early and decided I could at least try to help bring an end to this culture.”
Christine and her four male
colleagues working at the Turalei station have received five months of
intensive journalism training as well as continuous mentoring from the
Internews program in
The station is the fifth to be
opened by Internews in South Sudan and covers
“I would have loved to be a
pilot but I am a journalist now,” Akuol says with a beaming smile. “I am
a different person now and I know the value of education, which is why through
my programs I would like to encourage girls to go to school. The most important
thing is for women to embrace education.”
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