AYV News, September 27, 2024
Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio has described Early Marriage as a form of Rape, condemning it as a Cruel Cultural Norm.
She was speaking at the SDG Media Zone, one of the main features of major events at the United Nations, including the UN General Assembly high-level week, the UN Youth Forum and the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
Successfully championing efforts to ban child marriage in her country, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio joined experts, influencers, activists and media partners highlighting actions and solutions in support of the SDGs to discuss child marriage, which has severe consequences for girls.
At the panel, Dr. Bio was joined by Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, UN System Coordination and Programme Results, UN Women and Dr. Olayemi O. Dawodu, CEO of Cerba Lancet Nigeria Laboratories, who has firsthand experience witnessing the medical and psychosocial effects of child brides giving birth.
Taking her seven years from the launch of her campaign, to successfully pass a law banning early marriage in Sierra Leone, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio said: “I got the whole nation to understand what it was all about”.
Approximately 36 percent of girls in developing countries are married before the age of 18, and 10 percent before the age of 15.
Dr. Olayemi O. Dawodu, CEO of Cerba Lancet Nigeria Laboratories, highlighted the severe medical implications for young girls who are not physically developed enough to marry. These include conditions like urinary incontinence, fistula, and mental health breakdowns, among other complications.
She called for replicating Sierra Leone’s example in other countries.
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, UN System Coordination, and Programme Results, UN Women, emphasized that early marriage is not marriage, but sexual exploitation and a violation of multiple rights. She asserted that neither religion nor culture should justify child marriage.
Poverty often drives this practice, making it crucial to prioritize investment in girls. She called for appropriate legislation, social norm shifts, mass education, and access to justice.
Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), noted that most of UNFPA’s work focuses on Africa, stressing that women and girls must assert their right to bodily autonomy.
“Sexual and reproductive rights are important so girls can have a bright future,” she said, calling for the protection of girls’ ability to learn, enabling them to become self-employed in the future.
