Sierra Leone Bans Child Marriage

Sierra Leone’s lawmakers have adopted the Prohibition of Child Marriage Bill 2024 to ban child marriage in the country. Hundreds of thousands of children, the vast majority of whom are girls, are victims of early marriage or union.

The law will impose prison sentences of at least 15 years with minimum fines of at least 50,000 leones (2,000 euros).

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…