By Dr. Sunday de John
Nairobi, Kenya
The callous behaviour of Mr. Agany Kut Achuil, which resulted in his own daughter, Akuot Agany, having her eyeballs gouged out, is a horrific event that has appalled people all over the world.
It is a horrific conduct that ought to be denounced by every individual who has any semblance of decency in them.
Nonetheless, it is essential to emphasize that this occurrence ought to be seen as a solitary instance that the relevant authorities will be able to investigate and resolve. Even though it’s been two weeks or so since the event, the inquiry into it is still ongoing. Therefore, it is not up to the general public to render a judgement until all the evidence is in.
It is not known what Mr. Agany Kut Achuil’s motivations were for acting the way he did. It is essential to keep in mind that whatever the motivations may be, they do not excuse his behaviour in any way. There is just no justification for such a horrible act. It breaks one’s heart to witness a parent bring down his own daughter in such a horrendous manner. The repercussions of his acts will be severe, and he will be held accountable for his actions to the fullest extent of the law.
In this particular instance, the government needs to make certain that justice is served. In addition to the offender being held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, steps need to be made to eliminate the possibility of such instances occurring in the future.
Additionally, the government is obligated to offer assistance to the victim and her family. Akuot Agany has been through a lot, and in order for her to be able to deal with what is going on in her life, she needs to receive the appropriate medical care as well as the emotional support.
On the other hand, it is distressing to see that some people on social media are taking this tragedy as an opportunity to criticize the Tonj community. The residents of Tonj did not have a common opinion about the occurrence. There is just one person involved in this instance, a gentleman, a father to be precise, who decided to act in this manner despite being aware of the severe repercussions of his actions. It is shortsighted to place blame on the inhabitants of Tonj for that.
There are some observers who have gone as far as to pronounce the inhabitants of Tonj to be insane and that Tonj alone has three mental institutions; as a result, anyone who has the urge to date a girl or guy from Tonj ought to give it some serious consideration before doing so. Not only is this sort of speech insulting, but it is simply not factual.
If there are, in fact, mental institutions in Tonj, then this presents a significant opportunity for the rest of the country. In South Sudan, psychiatric institutions are an absolute requirement; yet, the presence of such facilities does not indicate that the local population is insane.
It is imperative that we recognise the prevalence of the practise of forced marriages among pastoralists, who place a high value on their daughters and often trade them for livestock. It is unfair to place blame on Tonj for the deaths of so many young women who were affected by the situation. It is an issue that has to be addressed in society, and the best way to do that is via education and robust customary rules.
As a society, we have an obligation to cooperate in order to eliminate the practise of regarding young women as only a commodity that can be bought and sold like livestock. We have a responsibility to see to it that they have the chance to achieve their goals and that they have access to educational opportunities.
It is essential to keep in mind that South Sudan is not the only place in the world where things of this nature occur. Violence against women and girls is a worldwide issue that affects millions of women and girls in different parts of the world. Men too are affected by the same.
In order to find a solution to this problem, the entire global community has to collaborate. We have a responsibility to make certain that those who commit acts of gender-based violence, be they men or women, are held accountable for their deeds and that victims of such abuse are provided with the appropriate support as well as justice.
Irrevocably, the callous behaviour of Mr. Agany Kut Achuil, which resulted in the gouging of the eyes of his own daughter, Akuot Agany, is a terrible event that ought to be denounced by everyone who is capable of rational thought. Because it is such a horrific crime, the perpetrator should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Nevertheless, we must refrain from using this event to cast aspersions on the Tonj people. It is shortsighted to blame the inhabitants of Tonj for the tragedy because they did not all agree that the incident should have occurred. Education and rigorously enforced traditional norms are two of the most effective tools we as a society have at our disposal for eradicating all forms of violence against women and girls.
Till then, yours truly, Mr. Teetotaler!