It’s been just over a year since child marriage was outlawed in Sierra Leone — a country that for decades held one of the highest rates of the practice in the world.
It’s unclear how effective the law has been, as child marriage statistics haven’t been published in Sierra Leone since before the law’s passage. But from June 2024 until today, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act has been lauded as historic — and used to push other countries in West and Central Africa to do the same.
“You cannot take away the fact that you have more women in Africa than men,” Fatima Maada Bio, the first lady of Sierra Leone, told Devex. “And if you’re going to deprive women in Africa to be [left] behind, then definitely, nothing is going to grow.”
Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.