The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024 in Sierra Leone is a significant legislative effort aimed at combating the deeply entrenched practice of child marriage in the country. Drafted and introduced by Hon. Mariama Munia Zombo, this Act represents a robust step forward in protecting children by imposing severe penalties on those who facilitate or engage in child marriage.
The First Lady’s Self-Promotion
However, recent developments suggest that Mrs. Fatima Jabbie Bio, who continues to act as First Lady in her husband’s illegitimate presidency of Sierra Leone, seems to have hijacked this crucial legislation. She has been busy presenting herself on social media as the referee and champion of this new law in preparation to usurp resources for personal benefit.
Despite not being a lawmaker or cabinet minister, Mrs. Bio quickly claimed to be the leader of this child marriage legislation. This behavior is troubling, as she is attempting to take credit for a legislative action not within her purview as a layperson with no legal authority.
The bill was developed by Parliament in response to the ongoing issue of child marriage in Sierra Leone, with significant involvement from members of Parliament, such as Hon. Mariama Munia Zombo and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs. Mrs. Bio’s attempt to reframe this legislative success as her personal project indicates her lack of understanding of the country’s lawmaking process and the role of key stakeholders in this process.
Historical Context of Resource Usurpation
As the First Lady of Sierra Leone from 2018 to 2023, Mrs. Bio has a history of usurping government and international donor funds. In the past six years, she leveraged the global spotlight on the issue of period poverty and rape in Sierra Leone. Yet, she made no tangible impact on alleviating these issues in the country.
Her solution to the problem of period poverty was to distribute disposable menstrual pads at her political rallies. Mrs. Bio no longer distributes her pads, as if girls’ periods have stopped. Those pads she gave out are now in landfills, contributing to the country’s environmental problems.
Rape continues to be a grave issue in the country, as rapists are seldom prosecuted. Police and other government agencies lack resources to pursue rape cases, and support to rape victims is rendered only by very few nongovernmental organizations working on the issue. Most Sierra Leoneans are now convinced that Mrs. Bio’s hijacking of the new law against child marriage is a strategy to attract international attention and funding once again, with no intention of delivering the necessary on-ground support and change women and girls need in the country.
Financial and Implementation Concerns
The Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs and Child Marriage Prohibition Officers will implement the Child Marriage Act 2024. This law requires that these officers work in coordination with local councils, traditional leaders, and other stakeholders to prevent and respond to child marriage cases. The implementation will involve extensive training, awareness campaigns, and enforcement efforts, requiring significant investment. However, there is a high risk that this substantial investment might divert resources from other critical areas of child welfare, such as education and health services.
Moreover, there is potential for financial corruption and misappropriation of funds. The large sums of money needed to implement such comprehensive legislation usually come from international donations; however, such funds can create opportunities for misuse, whether through fraudulent activities, inflated budgets, or misallocation of resources. This concern is amplified by Mrs. Bio’s involvement, given her history of questionable financial practices in the country.
Unfortunately, with Mrs. Bio’s involvement, mitigating these risks will be impossible as she is not subject to the stringent financial oversight mechanisms that may govern government ministers and agencies. The former Auditor General of Sierra Leone, Lara Taylor-Pearce, exposed Mrs. Bio’s financial corruption. For that, Julius Maada Bio, as President, removed the auditor and her deputy from office. The auditor was very thorough in her oversight, with transparent reporting practices required of an independent oversight body that monitors the use of government and donor funds. Today, there is no such oversight in Sierra Leone.
Mrs. Bio is Clueless About the Challenges
In her recent post on X, Mrs. Bio claimed, “No more early marriage in Sierra Leone.” This statement clearly shows how clueless Mrs. Bio is about the issue of early marriage in Sierra Leone. Beyond financial challenges, this law potentially faces significant cultural resistance. In many communities in Sierra Leone, child marriage is not only a social norm but also intertwined with deep-rooted cultural beliefs and economic and social structures.
Efforts to enforce the prohibition of child marriage will be met with resistance or hostility from those who view the practice as a cultural or economic necessity. Overcoming this resistance requires more than just enacting a law; it necessitates extensive community engagement and education to change attitudes and behaviors, a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. Mrs. Bio travels out of the country every week. She cannot afford the time necessary to invest in championing such a cause.
Why is Mrs. Bio Hijacking this New Law?
The answer is at the United Nations. Ending child marriage is one of the targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, it falls under Goal 5: to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Target 5.3 aims to eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation by 2030. This target highlights the global commitment to ending child marriage as a critical step towards achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls worldwide.
Mrs. Bio, who follows international donor money, knows that this global commitment to ending child marriage comes with a hefty financial investment; therefore, governments involved in this cause usually get international donor funds. For the past six years, Sierra Leoneans have seen Mrs. Bio attach her name to various government projects but have seen no tangible proof on the ground from the resources she usurped from the government and externally for those schemes.
While the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024 introduces necessary and specific measures to combat child marriage, the involvement of Mrs. Bio and the potential for her resource misappropriation present significant challenges. Effective implementation of the Act will require careful coordination, adequate funding, and extensive community engagement.
To protect the rights and well-being of children in Sierra Leone, stakeholders must not allow Mrs. Bio to misuse this vital legislative measure for personal benefit. They must work towards an integrated, streamlined approach that balances legal provisions with cultural sensitivity and resource availability. The success of this new legislative effort depends on thoughtful implementation and the commitment of all involved parties to creating a safer and more equitable environment for our children, especially the most vulnerable, the girl child.
References
MAMA SALONE ~ Lioness of the West Coast 