An African regional court has ruled that a decision by the government of Sierra Leone to ban pregnant girls from school was unlawful and must be revoked immediately.<\/p>\n
The decision by a court for countries in the West African regional bloc Ecowas has been welcomed by Amnesty International and other rights groups.<\/p>\n
It says the ruling sent a clear message to other countries with similar bans, including Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea.<\/p>\n
The Ecowas court said banning pregnant girls from school was discriminatory and at odds with the African Charter on Human Rights.<\/p>\n
But the court does not have any enforcement powers. Sierra Leone and other countries have ignored previous judgements, reports the BBC’s Umaru Fofana in the capital, Freetown.<\/p>\n
The government of Sierra Leone imposed the ban four years ago when there was a spike in teenage pregnancies due to the impact of the deadly Ebola virus.<\/p>\n
As families were torn apart many girls were left orphaned and extremely vulnerable.<\/p>\n
The government argued that regular school would be too tiring for them and they would be a bad influence on their peers.<\/p>\n
Alternative schools were set up for pregnant girls but rights groups argue they are not of the same standard and limit their career opportunities.<\/p>\n
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