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What is Child Marriage?
According to UNICEF, child marriage refers to any formal marriage or informal union between a person under the age of 18 and an adult or another child.
Child marriage has been a pervasive issue in Sierra Leone, driven by deeply entrenched cultural and socio-economic factors. According to Save the Children, 39% of girls in Sierra Leone are married before their 18th birthday, with 13% married before they turn 15. These statistics reflect real life situations of girls who are denied their childhoods, education, and opportunities for a better future.
Addressing Child Marriage in Sierra Leone
According to an article by BMC Public Health based on a 2019 survey, the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone was 22.1%. 17.8% of respondents had experienced childbirth at least once, 4.2% were pregnant at the time of the survey, and 1.2% had previously terminated a pregnancy. After adjusting for confounders, the odds of teenage pregnancy among married girls were about 15 times more than the odds among those who were not married. In comparison, the odds of teenage pregnancy among girls from the poorest households were 2.5 times more than the odds among girls from the wealthiest households which clearly shows that the prevalence of teen pregnancy in Sierra Leone is high.
In 2019, the United Nations Population Fund worked together with the Women in Crisis Movement, Matei Multipurpose Co-operative Society (MATCOPS), FINE-Sierra Leone, and the Office of the First Lady in the final year of the global program to achieve the following:
Reach 6,763 adolescent girls’ club members in safe spaces with age-appropriate information on sexual reproductive health, life skills, financial literacy, and livelihood skills using the government-validated and standardised national life skills manual. Some of these girls now serve as mentors or ambassadors in their communities, building networks to support and provide information to other girls who were not part of the clubs on their experiences in safe spaces.
They have enhanced community ownership and sustainability of the global End Child Marriage Programme through district-level Crisis Response Groups in four districts (Kambia, Port Loko, Bonthe, and Pujehun). The groups consist of community stakeholders, gatekeepers, and service providers. They actively monitor and follow up on reports of any child marriage incidences for appropriate action. A total of 234 mentors were linked with community stakeholders and Crisis Response Group members to monitor child marriage in the communities.
UNFPA provided technical and financial support to the First Lady’s ‘Hands off Our Girls’ Campaign, which was rolled out in 14 districts across the country, reaching teachers, pupils, traditional leaders, wives of paramount chiefs, religious and government functionaries, young people, the media, civil society and local council authorities and “soweis.” The campaign reached over 1,000,000 participants with messages on the urgency of ending child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and rape. 149 Paramount Chiefs made an official commitment to end child marriage. These local authorities were crowned Champions of the Hands Off Our Girls Campaign in their districts.
The opposition leader of All Peoples Congress, . Abdul Kargbo, during the prelegislative hearing of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act in Parliament, said, “Child marriage has been very preeminent in the rural areas, and some of us who come from those areas have seen instances wherein these children cannot take their bath because of lack of preparedness by their organs so if we are here as a parliament to look at this very bill, I consider it as a blessing. Members of Parliament should be empowered to go back to their people in those remote villages to inform them about the details of this bill, so no one falls victim to the law.”
What has been done in the fight against child marriage?
Against this backdrop, on June 20, 2024, Sierra Leone’s parliament approved the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act seeks to criminalise the act of marrying or entering into a union with a person under the age of 18. It includes provisions for enforcing penalties on offenders, protecting victim’s rights, and ensuring access to education and support services for young girls affected by early child marriage.
Child marriage activists across Sierra Leone, including Save the Children, have 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 first Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone and chief campaigner against child marriage, Dr Fatima Maada Bio, expressed via her Facebook page, her gratitude to the parliamentarians for endorsing the Bill:
“We have the responsibility to protect our children from early marriage. Your dedication to this cause, despite the inevitable political differences that arise, is a testament to your shared belief in the importance of the early child marriage bill. 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.”
What does the Act entail?
The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024 is a legislative act that prohibits child marriage, protects victims, and addresses related matters. It was enacted by the Speaker and Members of Parliament on June 20, 2024, and signed by the President on July 2, 2024, during the launch of the #WeAreEqual campaign led by First Lady Dr Fatima Maada Bio.
The Act is divided into several parts:
Part I – Preliminary: This section includes interpretation provisions such as: “child,” which means a person below the age of 18; “cohabit,” which means to live together and have a sexual relationship and “cohabitation” shall be construed accordingly; “contracting party” means either of the parties whose marriage has been or is about to be solemnized; “conduct” includes a child marriage presided over by traditional leaders, among others.
Part II – Prohibition of Child Marriage: It includes prohibitions on child marriage, giving consent to child marriage, using force or ill-treatment of a child, officiating, promoting, attending, attempting, conspiring, and aiding and abetting child marriages.
Part III – Prohibition of Cohabitation with a Child: This section prohibits cohabiting with a child, attempted cohabitation, conspiracy to cause cohabitation, and aiding and abetting cohabitation with a child.
Part IV – Annulment of Child Marriage: This declares child marriages void and provides for petitions for annulment.
Part V – Compensation: This part covers compensation for the child contracting party and children born of child marriage, the legitimacy of children born of such marriages, and modification of orders.
Part VI – Protection for Victims of Child Marriage: The section includes provisions for injunctions, the duties of the Ministry, the role and powers of the Child Marriage Prohibition Officer, their immunity, and the duty to report.
Part VII – Miscellaneous Provisions: It grants the power to make rules and addresses consequential amendments.
Key among the provisions is Part ii subsection (2) which notes that,
“A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years or to a fine of not less than Le. 50,000 or to both such imprisonment and fine.”
Conclusion
The newly prohibited Child Marriage Act of 2024 represents a landmark advancement in protecting children’s rights and well-being. By outlawing child marriages, the bill does not only address a critical social issue but also establishes comprehensive protections and remedies for those affected. It signifies a firm commitment by the government to abolish child marriage, support victims, and promote children’s education and development. This legislative milestone underscores the importance of ensuring that all children grow up in safe and nurturing environments free from exploitation and harm, thus laying the groundwork for a more just and equitable society.
This report is produced for the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KarKari Fact-Checking Fellowship in partnership with Epic Radio to facilitate the ethos of truth in journalism and enhance media literacy in Sierra Leone.