By Anna Grace Turay
The UNICEF Country Office in Sierra Leone, in collaboration with UNFPA, engaged the media on Friday, 17th April 2026, to share findings from a week-long field visit to Sierra Leone by a delegation from the Global Programme to End Child Marriage steering committee. The engagement was part of broader efforts to end child marriage and advance the rights and wellbeing of adolescent girls.
It was disclosed that the visit, hosted by the Government of Sierra Leone in partnership with UNICEF and UNFPA, brought together key stakeholders to review progress in the fight against child marriage, strengthen partnerships, and identify gaps to accelerate action.
Reflecting on the importance of the visit, stakeholders emphasized the need for sustained collaboration and investment. Ending child marriage remains a top priority for the Government of Sierra Leone. Meaningful progress has been made, including the prohibition of child marriage through the 2024 Act, community engagement, and expanded opportunities for girls, but officials noted that they are not complacent.
The visit provided valuable insight into the progress achieved in Sierra Leone and the impact of coordinated, community-driven interventions. It also reinforced the importance of sustained global community support and investment to scale up what works and accelerate efforts in partnership to end child marriage.It could be recalled that in 2016, UNICEF, together with UNFPA, launched a global programme to tackle child marriage in twelve of the most high-prevalence or high-burden countries, of which Sierra Leone was among.
