Radio Miraya
2656: Researching Harmful Cultural Practices - Girl Child Blood Compensation Among the Lotuko
Yes indeed, this is the third edition of our International Women's Day series, where we speak to South Sudanese producers of knowledge, charity, Bangbei Ladou is from the South Sudan women's research network, which is being implemented by the Reed Valley Institute with support from the European Union delegation to South Sudan. Now, she's here in the studio to talk to us about her work, and she did some research on Girl Child Blood Compensation practice among the Lotuco in Eastern Equatorial State. Good morning, and welcome to the program. Thank you. Right, so you researched on the Girl Child Blood Compensation for those who are not familiar with this practice, just describe what the Girl Child Blood Compensation is. Something brief, Girl Child Blood Compensation is a situation whereby if someone kills, and more often if a man kills a man, then the bereaved family will demand for compensation in terms of a girl child, and so it's called Girl Child Blood Compensation. The girl is used as compensation for the dead, so the girl will be given away. Yes. Wow. So you focused on the Lotuco community of Eastern Equatorial State. Yes. How prevalent is this practice there? It is very common. It's very prevalent not only among the Lotuco, but also the Dininga, the Buya, the Logir. Right. They all practice even some... Until present day. Some plants, yes. Wow. Yeah. Some plants around them are also sucked in like they actually, they are also picked up. Right. Yeah. There's a lot of research that this practice is a form of child marriage. Please shed more light on this. What happens when a girl is compensated, two things may happen to her. She may either be taken up by one of the male relatives of the deceased, or she may be given in marriage to a rich suitor out there. The bottom line seems to be money. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Well, does it matter how old this girl would be? It doesn't really matter, but they prefer to give younger girls because they think they would easily adopt into the new culture. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So is the idea for that, for those people to adopt her as their daughter or their ideas to give her away as a wife? Well, it depends from family to family. If the girl is lucky, she may find such a rare opportunity to be adopted and treated as a daughter. Right. In those cases, the girl becomes a laborer for the family and sometimes very vulnerable to sexual abuse and all kinds of abuses. If she's in school, she'll be taken away from school and her aspirations are not put into consideration. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right. So, like you say, it's girls who are usually given out for this blood compensation and not boys. What did you find out? Why? Why are girls preferable? First of all, the whole arrangement is to benefit the family of the bereaved. Let's say, for example, if a boy is given and he grows up in that family where his father uncle kills someone, when it comes times to marry, who's going to pay the daughter? It's going to be the responsibility of the country. And they don't want to make any loss, they want to receive compensation. And also, they fear that boys may take on the spirit of their uncle and somehow continue murdering in the family or carrying the same spirit around. So, boys are not, and also, if the boy has to produce children, they will not be after the clan of where he is, they will be his children. So, the family who is adopting him will not really gain according to their expectations. So, those are the attachment by nature. Yeah. But on the other side, if a girl is married, she's going to give birth to their children. And I mean, if she's taken by them and if she's married outside the family, they'll receive the right price. Right. So either way, there's no loss. Yeah. Right. So, what impact does this practice have on girls and women at large? The practice is devastating, to say the least. First of all, the career of the girl is taught, her ambitions, her aspirations are shattered, her opinion is not considered. And even her mother, during the selection of which girl is to be given in compensation, the mother is not normally consulted. It is the decision of the male relatives in the family. And by the way, it may be that the person who mother doesn't have a daughter. So they may take a daughter of his brother, or his cousin, or any distant relative. And without the consultation of the mother, or the aunties. Right. Yeah. So, it's really devastating to the women. It demoralizes them. It crashes their dreams. And they even fear to have ambitions because it can end anytime. Yeah. It can be interrupted at that time. When you say that there's at least light at the end of a tunnel and you highlight that there are opportunities to change this, just tell us more about these opportunities. There are a lot of opportunities to change. One of them is like this, what we are doing now, creating our awareness, talking about it. People need to know that this practice actually exists. There are those who are in denial, they are saying those things ended a long time ago. But when you go on the ground, the girls right now who are in homes who have been compensated as young as seven years, even compensated before they are born, depending on the number of people, the person killed. So each death is compensated by a life of a girl. And the deaths are common in that part of South Sudan due to many factors if we had time to discuss any of them. Yeah. So you're finding what is being done to address these challenges and how effective are these interventions? Well, I want to appreciate the civil society organizations in Turit, the women led organizations such as Christian Vision Organization, Support Women Initiative Progress, they are really trying their best, although they don't have much resources. But they have done the mapping, they are trying to rescue girls. There are a lot of challenges around that, but there is some level of intervention. Yeah. Right. So where people believe that such practices are at the core of their identity and practices, how hard is it to change some attitude? It is not really very hard, as it is said, because when we observe our society, so many things which we are formally considered, abomination are now accepted. For example, intermarities between certain tribes. So it calls for the determination, the will, and everybody has to do their part. If we put effort to it, if we put our mind to it, it could change. But above all, we need to educate the people and to create awareness about the existence of this practice. Right. Do you have quite strong recommendations on what must be done to curtail this? What do you think must be the priority right now to change these practices and make sure that vulnerable girls are not used as a blood compensation by families? I mean, I am looking at long-term solutions, because if I say, "Okay, build safe houses," I mean, that is still encouraging to practice, because now you have somewhere where you expect to be. I think we should attack it from the roots. Let us educate the people. Education is paramount. The community needs to be educated. The girls themselves need to be educated on their rights. And the practice needs to be brought out in a light where people can see it for what it is. Apart from believing that this is how we grow up, this is our culture, this is how we do things. They need to see it in a new light. And then they decide for themselves, "Is this how we want to continue?" Right. Yeah. So your research is part of the South Sudan Women Research Network. So tell us a bit more about how they helped you in carrying out your study. Much appreciation goes to the funders in you and also RVI for the way they decided it. I think it was really a wise thing which they did to call for proposals and it was fair. Right. I don't know anybody on the board. I didn't know anyone who was behind the desk doing anything, but when I applied, I was taken. We went through. I was pregnant during the time. They were so lenient, they are so patient, they got us mentors, they did the trainings. I mean, it is just something which is so good and which should continue. It really helps us a lot because women, we tend to lag behind because we think we have a lot of domestic responsibilities and we have... We don't think we actually do that. Yes, we do. I mean, we think that that should prevent us from going forward and doing things like research, bringing out what is inside of us to help the world. But with this project, they made it very convenient even for mothers like me. I mean, I was pregnant. I gave birth when I'm still doing the research and it didn't hinder me from continuing because of how they arranged it, the mentorship, the trainings, the leniency, the time frame. Right. It was... It was hard to break off on maternity. Exactly. Right. So, considering all the factors that you've gone through because this is actually what happens, why is it important for women researchers to access these kinds of assistance? It is very important. First of all, everyone has something to offer and women have a lot of things to offer. Usually, or maybe sometimes, I don't know whether it's common with most women, we have ideas which we turn around and despise ourselves, or we think they cannot benefit in our own self-doubt. Exactly. Nobody is going to think this is what that should not be. I think women should rise up and bring out what is inside them to benefit the world, not just South Sudan, but the world. Let them come and do their research. If these opportunities are there, women can come out and bring solutions which can change our nation. Charity. Yes. Thank you so much for your time. You're welcome. Right. And Charity Gbangwe Ladou is from the South Sudan Women's Research Network, which is being implemented by the River Valley Institute with support from the European Union delegation to South Sudan. And thank you so much for sharing this insightful information here.