In what has been described as a major step forward in the fight against gender based violence and inequality, the Sierra Leonean government has passed a bill banning child marriage.
The historic legislation which applies to those under the age of 18 seeks to safeguard young girls from a practice compromising their rights, education, health, and well-being. In 2023, UNICEF found that West and Central Africa had the highest global incidence of child marriage. 30% of Sierra Leonean girls were in a union between ages 15 and 18, and married between 20 to 24. Amnesty international is now pushing for other countries in Central and West Africa to follow suit and outlaw child marriage. In Niger, Chad, Mali, and the Central African Republic, over half of women aged 20-24 were married or in a union before turning 18, according to UNICEF research. The passing of this significant bill in Sierra Leone is encouraging news for equality of access to sport in a country affected by conflict and poverty.
We wanted to understand the perspective directly from our beneficiaries currently attending Girls in Sport's programs on the ground. Kadiatu Sankoh, a long-term beneficiary and recipient of our Champions Initiative scheme said:
"Before this bill is [sic] passed, people’s parents used to force them into early marriage because of poverty... there is someone there to take care of you.”
Girls in Sport are at the forefront at the local level of leveraging soft power of sport, an effective vehicle in achieving more opportunities for girls. The hope is that the ban on traditions of child marriage removes more obstacles. However, poverty is likely to continue to bound the normative change needed to discourage a practice that is often rooted in traditions and customary practice, customarily seen as a vehicle out of destitution.
Our Theory of Change works to challenge a deeply ingrained perception that the place for women and girls is in the home. Sierra Leone's ban on child marriage removes obstacles associated with marriage by keeping more girls in school and enabling them to engage in sports. Advocacy groups and human rights observers hope that this will mark a normative shift in attitudes. This change is significant as it not only protects young girls but encourages their academic and personal development, fundamentally challenging gender stereotypes and promoting equality.
We also spoke with Girls in Sport's Hellen Sessay who works in Sierra Leone delivering safeguarding and coaching to children who benefit from our programmes.
“Early marriage affects so many girls in terms of sport, for example girls at a young age should be in school and embracing opportunities like sport. Instead they are at home doing the roles of our mothers. As soon as girls (reach physical maturity) the family will say it’s high time for marriage.”.. Hellen continued: ...“One of my friends in school was forced to marry a wealthy businessman from Kenema. On the day she was to be married, she was crying. She never loved the man. It was clear to see but because of the parents [insisted] she was forced, if she didn’t marry they would disown her.”
Despite the bill being passed, Sessay discussed the issues that may continue to occur especially in rural areas if tradition and cultural issues are not addressed correctly:
“There will be several challenges, one of the main ones is tradition, families will continue to oppose (the new legislation) as they see this as a family issue....This law needs to be distributed to the rural areas... if it is not properly understood it will not be effective. The people must accept it, most importantly reaching the rural areas. Early marriage happens much more in these areas, because there is less privilege, [and] less education".
One thing however is certain: progress is happening in Sierra Leone. The fewer child marriages there are, the more girls there will be in school. This all leads to wider opportunities that often pass by girls. News of the ban marks a turning point for girls in sport and the hope is that communities will be encouraged to reconsider the practice and traditional cultural attitudes towards gender. Girls in Sport will continue to be working from the bottom up, in giving more girls the same access to sport as boys.
