{"id":30956,"date":"2026-06-28T04:27:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T08:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=30956"},"modified":"2026-06-28T04:27:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T08:27:30","slug":"four-men-held-over-child-marriage-in-sierra-leone-appear-in-landmark-court-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2026\/06\/28\/four-men-held-over-child-marriage-in-sierra-leone-appear-in-landmark-court-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Four men held over child marriage in Sierra Leone appear in landmark court case"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For the first time since child marriage was banned in Sierra Leone two years ago, people accused of committing the crime have been brought to trial.<\/b><\/p>\n

Four men appeared at a High Court on Friday in the capital city, Freetown, charged with the forcible marriage of a 17-year-old girl.<\/p>\n

The accused \u2014 Sayo Marrah, Lansana Qura, Salieu Kamara, and Abu Bakarr Kamara \u2014 are facing three counts: contracting marriage with a child, consenting to child marriage, and aiding and abetting child marriage, contrary to Sections 2, 3, and 10 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2024.<\/p>\n

Among the accused are the girl’s father and her so-called husband. The father is alleged to have consented to the marriage and participated in the ceremony. The other accused are also alleged to have facilitated the union, playing active roles in ensuring the marriage was successfully conducted.<\/p>\n

All four men pleaded guilty – but because the alleged groom claimed he had obtained consent from the child’s mother for the marriage, relying on the outdated customary marriage act, his plea was re-classed by the prosecutor as “not guilty”.<\/p>\n

If convicted, the defendants will be jailed for at least 15 years or fined around $4,000 (\u00a33,200), or both. Their next hearing is due on 2 July.<\/p>\n

Under the new law, even those who attend the wedding of a child can be arrested and jailed.<\/p>\n

Sierra Leone is a patriarchal society and it has long been common for a father to give his daughter’s hand in marriage forcibly.<\/p>\n

Despite the fact that 18 is now the minimum age to wed, many instances of underage girls being forced to marry persist in the country, often officiated by local religious figures.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors say this particular marriage happened in Grafton, in the outskirts of the capital city Freetown.<\/p>\n

“The charges represent a significant milestone in the enforcement of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2024”, Sierra Leone’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice Alpha Sesay told the BBC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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