Freetown, Sierra Leone. A moment the old guard feared. The new broom sweeps. Two men, charged with child marriage, walked into a courtroom today. Not just any courtroom. This was the High Court. The first of its kind in this West African nation.
Sources on the ground say the atmosphere was electric. The accused, names now public but faces shielded from cameras, stood rigid. The prosecution laid out a case built on a 2024 law. A law that criminalises marriage for anyone under 18. A law that, until today, existed only on paper.
Let's be clear. Child marriage is endemic here. According to UNICEF, nearly a third of Sierra Leonean girls are married before their 18th birthday. The practice is woven into the social fabric. Rural chiefs, religious leaders, families. All complicit. All turning a blind eye.
But the political winds have shifted. President Julius Maada Bio's government, facing pressure from international donors and domestic women's rights groups, decided to act. The message from State House is unsubtle: the law now has teeth. This is a test case. A warning shot.
The defendants are not powerful men. One is a farmer. The other a local trader. Their alleged crimes: marrying girls aged 14 and 15. The girls themselves, now witnesses for the state, are under protection. Their testimonies, if they hold, could break the case wide open.
Inside the Lobby, the chatter is about precedent. If convictions follow, expect a flood of similar cases. The backlog in the courts is already monstrous. But the political will is there. The First Lady, Fatima Bio, has made child marriage her signature issue. She has been relentless. Her husband's administration knows this is a legacy-defining moment.
Of course, there is resistance. Whispers of cultural imperialism. Claims that Western values are being imposed. But those voices are fading. The data is damning. The human cost is undeniable. A girl married at 14 is more likely to die in childbirth. Less likely to finish school. More likely to live in poverty.
The next hearing is set for Monday. The judge, a woman known for her no-nonsense style, has warned against delays. The defence is expected to argue customary law. A weak hand, many believe. International law and the domestic statute are clear. Child marriage is no longer acceptable.
What happens here will resonate far beyond this small West African nation. Watch this space. The old ways are being challenged. The new law is being tested. And for two men in a Freetown courtroom, the future looks bleak.
