Sierra Leone’s parliament has approved a new law banning child marriage, hailed as a “historic” step by the international charity Save The Children.
Lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill criminalising marrying girls below 18 with jail terms of up to 15 years or a stiff fine of over $2,000.
Patrick Analo, Save the Children Sierra Leone country head, said: “This is a historic moment and an extraordinary achievement for children across Sierra Leone who have campaigned for their rights.
“Girls who are married young are not only robbed of their childhoods — they are robbed of their futures.”
In Sierra Leone, one-third of all girls are married before their 18th birthday, according to UNICEF.
The country is home to 800,000 child brides, 400,000 of whom were married before age 15, the UN body says.
The bill has to be signed into law by President Julius Maada Bio.
Child marriages have been declining slowly in the West African nation.