Photo by Majkl Velner on Unsplash

This month Sierra Leone banned child marriage and laid out severe punishments for those engaging in marrying girls and boys off before their 18th birthday. 30 percent of girls in Sierra Leone are married before 18. More girls can focus on furthering their education instead of starting families at a young age. It has been proven that education is one key element that can aid girls from living in the poorest 20 percent. 

In Sierra Leone, girls in the north (65%) and south (56%) have a greater chance of being married off young. Child marriage has deep historical roots in patriarchal societies where girls’ sexuality is strongly controlled. This in turn does not allow girls the option and choice of marrying someone she wants, but rather must marry someone who has been arranged for her. Sometimes these arrangements start when girls are as young as two. 

Sierra Leone’s Child Rights Act of 2007, 2022, already called for the prohibition of forced marriages and that marriage certificates could not be administered to those under the age of 18. Despite this Act, child marriage remained one of the highest in the world as customs and traditions are difficult to erase especially in rural areas where child marriage is the most rife. Customary marriage becomes another problem because cultural tradition and patriarchy typically trope the age of the girl at marriage. 

This new law passed by Sierra Leone’s parliament, The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024, prohibits child marriage in all forms. A parent or guardian cannot consent to child marriage. Parents and guardians also cannot use “force, duress, deceit, abandon, torture or neglect” to compel a child (girl or boy) to be betrothed. Dowry transactions and marriage contracts are also prohibited for children under 18. Those who participate in marrying off children can be punished with up to 15 years in prison and fined no less than 50,000 Le (leons).

This new law must have the political will of entire communities and the country. UNFPA and Save the Children continue to work with stakeholders, advocates, and the political class to spread the message about ending child marriage.  To that end, there is evidence that child marriage rates have indeed declined in Sierre Leone undoubtedly with help from Sierra Leone’s first lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio’s “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign that launched in 2018 where she has engaged with chiefs, imams, traditional leaders, and pastors to educate them about the harm child marriage has on the life trajectory of girls.