The first lady who made child marriage illegal in Sierra Leone – Devex

Report on Sierra Leone’s Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Legislative Action on Child Marriage

Over one year ago, the government of Sierra Leone enacted the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, a landmark piece of legislation in a country with a historically high prevalence of the practice. While official statistics on the law’s impact have not yet been published, the act is recognized as a significant step towards national development and has been promoted as a model for legislative reform across West and Central Africa.

Advancing Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality

The primary impact of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act is its direct contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The law specifically addresses SDG Target 5.3: “Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.”

• The legislation provides a legal framework to protect girls from early and forced marriage, a fundamental violation of their human rights.
• By outlawing the practice, the act seeks to dismantle a key barrier to female empowerment, enabling girls to have greater control over their own lives and futures.
• As articulated by Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio, national progress is intrinsically linked to the empowerment of women, who constitute a majority of the population in many African nations. Depriving them of opportunities hinders overall societal growth.

Cross-Cutting Impacts on Other Sustainable Development Goals

The act’s influence extends beyond SDG 5, creating positive ripple effects that support the achievement of several other interconnected SDGs.

1. SDG 4 (Quality Education): By preventing early marriage, the law helps ensure that girls can remain in school, complete their education, and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for personal and economic development.
2. SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The prohibition of child marriage is crucial for reducing rates of early pregnancy and childbirth, which pose significant health risks to young mothers and their infants, thereby improving maternal and child health outcomes.
3. SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): An educated and empowered female population is better equipped to enter the formal workforce, contributing to sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
4. SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): The enactment and enforcement of this law demonstrate a commitment to strengthening legal institutions and ensuring justice and protection for the most vulnerable members of society, particularly children.

Conclusion and Regional Outlook

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act in Sierra Leone stands as a critical policy achievement aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. While awaiting empirical data on its effectiveness, the law serves as a powerful advocacy tool, encouraging neighboring countries to adopt similar measures to protect children’s rights, advance gender equality, and accelerate progress across multiple Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of SDGs in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   The article primarily addresses issues related to two Sustainable Development Goals:

   • SDG 5: Gender Equality: The central theme of the article is the outlawing of child marriage in Sierra Leone. Child marriage is a harmful practice that disproportionately affects girls, violating their rights and hindering their opportunities for education, health, and empowerment. The first lady’s statement, “if you’re going to deprive women in Africa to be [left] behind, then definitely, nothing is going to grow,” directly links the empowerment of women to national development, which is a core principle of SDG 5.
   • SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article focuses on a specific legal measure, the “Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.” This highlights the role of strong institutions and a robust legal framework in protecting vulnerable populations, specifically children. By enacting and enforcing laws against harmful practices, the state is working towards providing justice and protection for all, a key aspect of SDG 16.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   Based on the issues discussed, the following specific targets can be identified:

   • Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation. The article is entirely focused on the “Prohibition of Child Marriage Act” in Sierra Leone, a country that “held one of the highest rates of the practice in the world.” This law is a direct national effort to achieve this specific target.
   • Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. Child marriage is recognized as a form of abuse and violence against children. The law discussed in the article is a state-led mechanism aimed at ending this specific form of violence and protecting children’s rights, directly aligning with the objective of Target 16.2.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   Yes, the article implies a key indicator for measuring progress:

   • Indicator 5.3.1: Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 18. The article directly references the data needed for this indicator when it states, “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.” This highlights that the collection and publication of statistics on the prevalence of child marriage are the primary means to measure the success of the new law and track progress towards Target 5.3.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article. In this table, list the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their corresponding targets, and the specific indicators identified in the article.

   SDGs	Targets	Indicators
   SDG 5: Gender Equality	Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage.	Indicator 5.3.1: Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 18 (Implied by the mention of “child marriage statistics”).
   SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions	Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation… and all forms of violence against… children.	Not explicitly mentioned, but progress would be measured by the reduction in cases of child marriage as a form of violence against children.

Source: devex.com