Sierra Leone Abolishes Child Marriage with Historic Legislation

0

The law criminalizes marrying girls under 18 years of age and also prescribes jail time to the offenders for up to 15 years

In a landmark decision, Sierra Leone’s parliament has approved a law regarding the abolition of child marriage in the country. The new decision is touted as a major victory in the African nation which is already reeling through a grievous economic crisis.

The law criminalizes marrying girls under 18 years of age and also prescribes jail time to the offenders for up to 15 years. Child marriage has been one of the biggest problems in Central Western and Central African nations. According to UNICEF, one-third of all girls are married before their 18th birthday in the West African country.

Sierra Leone itself is home to 800,000 child brides, 400,000 of whom were married before age 15, the UN body says.

A cause close to the country’s First Lady

Shortly after the historic law was announced, the First Lady of the Republic Of Sierra Leone, Fatima Maada Bio, took to X, formally known as Twitter, to express her delight over the matter.

“Sierra Leone’s Parliament today unanimously passed the Prohibition of Child Marriage Bill 2024, a crucial piece of legislation that I championed. This private member’s bill outlaws child marriage, a harmful practice that has long plagued the nation,” the First Lady of the African nation wrote on X