Source: Semafor
“Sierra Leone’s Parliament passed a historic bill criminalizing child marriage, a major victory for campaigners in a region that has the highest prevalence of the practice in the world. The bill, which includes jail terms of up to 15 years or a hefty fine for perpetrators, still needs to be signed into law by President Julius Maada Bio. The West African country is home to 800,000 child brides, half of whom were married before the age of 15, according to a 2019 UNICEF report.” (06/24/24)