Thursday, June 27, 2024 -Sierra Leone's First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio, celebrated with her country's women after a bill banning child marriage, which she championed, was passed by parliament.
On June 21, 2024, Sierra Leone passed a
historic bill to ban child marriage after girls across the country and Save the
Children joined a campaign to criminalise the widespread practice.
The Prohibition of Child Marriage Bill 2024
seeks to criminalise the act of marrying or entering into a union with a child
under the age of 18. It includes provisions for enforcing penalties on
offenders, protecting victims’ rights, and ensuring access to education and
support services for young girls affected by early child marriage.
Sierra Leone has one of the highest child
marriage, early pregnancy and maternal mortality rates in the world, with about
one-third of girls married before the age of 18, and another third giving birth
before the age of 19, according to the Ministry of Health.
Save the Children, a rights organisation,
worked with First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, 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. By
strengthening existing laws and enhancing their enforcement, the bill seeks to
create a more protective environment for children, particularly girls.
Following the passage of the Child Marriage Prohibition Bill, First Lady Bio took to X to celebrate.
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