Sierra Leone Bans Child Marriage- A Big Win for Activists

Sierra Leone’s Parliament passed a historic bill criminalizing child marriage, a major victory for campaigners in a region that has the highest prevalence of the practice in the world.

The bill, which includes jail terms of up to 15 years or a hefty fine for perpetrators, still needs to be signed into law by President Julius Maada Bio.

The law sets the legal minimum age of marriage at 18 years old for both boys and girls. This overrides any previous laws or customary practices that allowed marriage at a younger age.

The new law imposes strict penalties for violating the law, including fines and imprisonment for anyone involved in arranging or conducting a child marriage.

Photo Credit: UNICEF

This legislation was a major milestone for Sierra Leone, which previously had one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world.

The West African country is home to 800,000 Child Brides, half of whom were married before the age of 16, according to a 2019 UNICEF report.

Advocacy groups and human rights organizations had long called for Sierra Leone to outlaw child marriage, citing the negative impacts it has on the health, education and overall wellbeing of young girls.

The government's passage of this law demonstrates a commitment to protecting the rights of the girl child in the country.