by Nadia Ramoutar MMM Communications Coordinator          Ireland        30.10.2024

Recently I was asked to speak on a Webinar about the MMM efforts for a Safe Birth 4 All campaign to make childbirth safer for women in Sub-Saharan Africa. I am very grateful to be involved in efforts to see the dangerous elements of death or injury in birthing be eased for all women, not just women in the Global North. I often say that geography dictating destiny is a sign of injustice. I say it so often that I am almost tired of hearing myself. But we have to keep sharing the stories of the women who don’t get to have a voice for themselves.

During the Webinar, another presenter spoke about the challenges of her role trying to educate girls in South Sudan. Her first-hand account of what she saw and experienced there was horrifying. I feel not enough people know enough about it – including me. When we look at the high numbers of injured or dying females giving birth, many are young, and their bodies are not capable of a safe unattended birth. But this is a causation that seems to go culturally noticed.

The presenter said that girls were used like cows as currency. Any male family member from the extended family had rights over the girl and could remove her from school to have her married. She never earned agency over her own body or education. Not even at 18.

According to Concern, the Irish NGO, there is a dire situation for females in South Sudan. Gendered Based Violence is the number one health risk for women and girls there. We may not think of it this way, but gendered violence includes forced or early marriage and happens for nearly half of all South Sudanese girls. Current statistics show that 45% of girls were married before their 18th birthday. For 7%, their marriage took place before they turned 15. Look around you and see teenage girls and imagine them being forced into a marriage.

Perhaps it is no surprise then that South Sudan has the fifth highest maternal mortality rate in the world: 1 in 7 women will die due to complications during pregnancy or childbirth. I want to pause here and think about what would happen if one of every seven women in New York or London or Toronto died in childbirth. Can you imagine?

The reasons for these high death rates are complex and based in many traditions do not serve the female population. The politics of the area don’t help. This is largely due to an infrastructure crippled by nearly a decade of conflict, which has led to an underdeveloped healthcare system and a severe shortage of skilled healthcare workers — especially for obstetrics and gynaecology.

We just cannot forget about these girls. We must continue to provide resources and awareness about these issues. I for one find this heartbreaking. I will not allow myself to just forget about these sisters overseas facing brutal odds with no options.