Lawmakers in Western Equatoria State are advancing a crucial bill that seeks to criminalize men who impregnate women and later abandon them, leaving mothers to shoulder the full weight of pregnancy and childcare.
The proposed law, currently at its first reading in the state legislative assembly, introduces tough penalties aimed at curbing rising cases of parental neglect.
Speaker of the Assembly Ann Tuna Richard, who is championing the legislation, says the number of single mothers across the state has grown to alarming levels, with many women struggling emotionally and financially while fathers “enjoy life as though they have no responsibility.”
“There are a lot of women who are single mothers now,” Speaker Tuna quoted in an interview with Radio Miraya.
“A man will impregnate a woman and then refuse to take responsibility. These fathers are there, but they act like they have no obligations,” she added.
The bill proposes a minimum five-year prison sentence for any man who impregnates a woman but fails to support her during pregnancy and after childbirth.
Those who reject parental responsibility entirely would also lose all parental rights, with the child registered under the mother’s family.
“If you impregnate a woman and you don’t take care of her and the child, you make her a single mother you will go to prison for five years,” she said.
“If the man refuses completely, the name of the child will be written under the mother.”
Tuna says the legislation responds to widespread social challenges in Western Equatoria, including men taking multiple partners despite lacking the financial means to support them.
“You will see a man who does not have a strong financial background wanting to date two or three women. If you want to marry more than one wife, you must ensure you are financially strong and able to give the rights of all these women.”
She warned that neglect is contributing to early deaths, stalled education, and deepening poverty among women.
Many girls who fall pregnant drop out of school and never return, leaving them locked into lifelong economic hardship.
“Once a girl drops out with the responsibility of caring for a child, it becomes difficult to go back to school,” she said.
The bill is expected to move to its second reading in the coming weeks. If passed, it would mark one of the strongest legal steps taken by any state to address parental neglect and promote responsible fatherhood in South Sudan.
