Sierra Leone Bans Child Marriage Through New Legislation

The legislative body of Sierra Leone has passed a significant law prohibiting child marriage, an action that has received high praise from child rights advocates.

This new statute makes it illegal to marry off girls who are under 18 years old and imposes penalties of up to 15 years in prison for those who do.

In Sierra Leone, one in three girls marries before reaching the age of 18, reports UNICEF.

There are currently 800,000 child brides in the country, with 400,000 of them wedded before they turned 15, according to figures from the United Nations agency.

Poverty forces many Sierra Leonean girls out of education and into early marriages as their families seek to either lighten their financial burden or settle debts.