Sierra Leone bans child marriage, seeks safer environment for children

Sierra Leone’s parliament has unanimously passed a bill prohibiting child marriage in the country.

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Bill 2024, passed on Thursday, seeks to criminalise the act of entering into a union with a boy or girl under the age of 18.

The bill also makes provisions for penalties for offenders, protecting victims’ rights, and ensuring access to education and support services for young children affected by early child marriage.

Fatima Bio, Sierra Leone’s first lady, lauded parliament for the bill’s passage, saying it would create a safer environment for children.

“This bill represents a significant step forward in protecting the rights of our next generation and a testament to the power of collaboration and shared purpose,” the first lady said.

Girls across the country and Save the Children, an international charity organisation, had joined a campaign to criminalise the widespread practice.

Sierra Leone has one of the highest child marriage, early pregnancy, and maternal mortality rates in the world.

About one-third of girls in the country are married before the age of 18, with another third giving birth before the age of 19, according to the health ministry.

In a statement on Friday, Patrick Analo, Save the Children country director in Sierra Leone, said the bill is an extraordinary achievement for children across the country who have campaigned for their rights.

“Girls who are married young are not only robbed of their childhoods – they are robbed of their futures,” Analo said.

“They experience lifelong harm to their physical and mental health; are barred from opportunities to learn, grow, play, and develop; and are shut out of future educational and economic opportunities that also impact their families and communities.

“Children have now stood up and said, ‘Give us our futures back.’ And thanks to them, this will be a new reality for nearly four million children across Sierra Leone.”

Save the Children said it worked with the first lady, the ministry of gender and children’s affairs, and other organisations to end child marriage in the country.

The office of the first lady said the bill will address enforcement challenges by establishing penalties for violations and calling upon community leaders to support its implementation actively.