Charity Napugai, a South Sudanese researcher. (-)

A study conducted by a female researcher among the rural communities in Eastern Equatoria State indicates high prevalence of the use of girl children as compensation for bloodshed, a practice similar to the use of cattle to pay blood compensation in other cultures.

The study, authored by Charity Naigupai, and facilitated by South Sudan Women’s Research Network, underscored that blood compensation for murder is used by many communities in South Sudan as part of the reconciliation process between families and communities.

It, however, noted that the more harmful practice commonly known as Girl Child Blood Compensation (GCBC), is still practiced by the Lotuko and other communities.

This is where a girl from the killer’s family is given to the victim’s family as compensation to prevent revenge killing and support peaceful coexistence among communities.

The research focused on primary data collection, using qualitative methods such as the Oral History Interviewing Technique.

It gathered firsthand information from community members who participated in it, as well as those who opposed to it, supplemented by secondary data gathered during the literature review.

The study seeks to understand and highlight the impact of the practice on affected girls, increase awareness amongst the community on how the practice negatively affects women and girls and seeks to contribute to reducing its prevalence.

Charity Naigupai, who took part in research meant to reshape the narrative within communities, said she obtained mixed reactions on the existence of the vice.

“I found mixed reactions but there are people who are actually now in homes of the deceased,” she narrated in a program on Eye Radio’s Sundown Show.

“Somebody killed somebody in their family, a male killed someone and then they were demanded in compensation. They are there. It is very prevalent, specially in the rural areas and even in the towns just that nowadays, it’s done undercover.”

In her study, Naipugai noted that girls and women in South Sudan face numerous barriers and challenges, including denial of right to inheritance, gender-based violence and lack of access to education.

Naigupai imagined that the feeling of the biological family of the girl used for compensation is terrible, as it is even regarded a bad omen for her to visit them.

It is said that if the girl comes back home, she chased her away in fear of some possible cultural repercussions.

“It’s terrible. It’s like the daughter is dead because she’s not allowed to come back. If she comes back to the family, it’s a curse, it’s a bad omen.”

“She should not come back. In fact, if she comes back, they will chase her away. No coming back to them even a visit. She has to cut the ties.”

Once the girl is given in compensation after a ritual where both families slaughter and exchange goat meat, she is separated from her biological family for good, Naigupai said.

Civil society sources cited in the study indicate that the practice to give away a female child to the family of a victim of bloodshed is still being practiced even in towns.

She however said local communities are not doing it openly like before due to legal provisions against the practice.

“There’s an established legal system which they are supposed to follow, and if they are caught doing it, there’s a probability that they will be brought to books to account for that.”

The researcher said the practice has been in existence for over a hundred years and is believed to have been coined by a poor man who offered to pay her daughter in compensation for a deceased person.

It said the man had nothing to give for a blood compensation and her daughter was accepted – a gesture later borrowed and blessed by many cultures in the state.

“So, he said, just take my daughter because I don’t have a cow. So, when he did that, the community admired the practice and now, they borrowed it, specially those who have lost someone. They borrowed it and they have been practicing it ever since.”

The practice, according to Naigupai’s research, shows that the family of the deceased find solace on the fact that they have a live person in the place of the victim.

She also cites a scenario of an incident narrated to her in her research.

“It depends on the family. But the general feeling is that, at least we have a live person in the place of the one we lost. In fact, a story one of the interviewees narrated to me is that, a lady lost her daughter.”

“They were playing in the compound and a young man poured petrol on her and then she was lit and she burnt to death. So, when the lady demanded compensation, they wanted to give her cow but she said no, a cow cannot do house chores for me, I want a girl child.”

“Unfortunately, women do not benefit from this tradition. They cannot compensate to a woman when she has lost but if it’s a man, then it works. So, the lady never got to get a person and since she did not accept the cows or money, so her loss just went like that.”

A similar research conducted by Rift Valley Institute on blood compensation practices among the Lotuko of Eastern Equatoria State, also found that for each person killed, a girl will be provided.

According to the research, the practice of blood compensation can be found across South Sudan as ‘payment’ for the loss of life due to the shedding of blood.

This has been described by as a ‘traditional and deeply cultural approach to justice, and the form it takes depends on the community.

According to research, the absence of a functioning court system in many parts of South Sudan makes it difficult for aggrieved families to secure justice for their killed relatives through the formal court system.

The Lotuko’s form of blood compensation, however, involves handing over a girl child to the victim’s family as compensation, rather than cattle.

In addition to the Lotuko, girl child blood compensation can also be found among other communities in the state, such as the Logir, Lango, Didinga, Buya, and Dongoton.

The practice among the Lotuko was documented as early as 1918 by British colonial administrator, Major Fitzroy Somerset.

He described it as a ‘blood fine’ and noted that the pre-condition was the killing of a person, either by design or accident.

The researcher is appealing to the government to educate societies and people about the dangers related to the harmful cultural practices including adjudicating cases of murders in customary courts.

She also calls for policies that will put an end to cultural practices that discriminate against women and girls in the society.

“I would like to encourage our government and all stakeholders in the matters that affect South Sudanese to allow for creation of awareness certain issues that really affect the people like the cultural practices that discriminate against women and girls.”

“Let the government educate the population about the disadvantages of separating a child from her family and giving her into some sort of forced marriage because you never know what’s going to happen to that child in the home.”