AWE Media Sierra Leone

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson Despite efforts made by Government and child rights activists to curtail early marriage of girls, families in distant towns and villages of the northern province of Sierra Leone are trading their teenage daughters into early marriages by way of escaping economic hardship during this COVID-19 pandemic period. This act is an attempt to frustrate all efforts to end child marriage in Sierra Leone even though the imperative recommendation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) 395 states that, ‘’…the Government enact legislation making it a criminal offence to permit, authorize and assist in the marriage of children under 18 years of age. Since the pandemic struck several economic and social activities have been put to a stall still in Africa and the wilder world. In Sierra Leone, the pandemic has crippled previous advancements made by Government to promote Gender Rights and to protect the Girl Child against traditions, myths and cultural practices. These effo...