Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio on Tuesday enacted a law banning child marriage, under which offenders will face penalties including jail terms and fines.
Recall that Sierra Leone’s parliament approved the law in June, passing a bill that criminalizes marriages to girls below the age of 18 with jail terms of at least 15 years or a fine of about $4,000.
“This is an accomplishment that will define my administration,” said Bio during a ceremony hosted by a feminist group and West African first ladies in Freetown.
It is a “beacon of hope in Africa, where women have boundless opportunities to be and determine their own future and inspire the world,” he added.
Reacting to the bill’s passage, the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs stated that it was a “significant milestone [which] not only protects girls but promotes robust human rights protections.”
In addition, the law bans men from living with underage girls. Girls who got married or became pregnant before turning 18 will receive a compensation package and could file for an annulment of their marriage in court.
According to UNICEF, 800,000 girls under the age of 18 were married in 2017 alone, including 400,000 under the age of 15.
