How culture shapes the sexual and reproductive health practices among adolescent girls in Eastern Equatoria, South Sudan

BRAC (Building Resources Across Communities) studied attitudes and practices relating to adolescent sexual reproductive health and related topics. This paper reports the findings from this qualitative study. South Sudan has one of the world’s youngest populations with 72 percent below 30 years of age; 26 percent of adolescent girls (15 to 19 years) are mothers. One participant stated, “If a girl does not get pregnant at early age, people think she is barren.” When asked how many children a woman should have, a majority of participants said that a woman should give birth to eight to twelve children and, therefore, should start giving birth early. The article starts on page 56