“I have always believed that the future of Sierra Leone is female,” Bio said on social media platform X. “This and future generations of girls must thrive in Sierra Leone in which they’re protected, equal and empowered.”
Sierra Leone is home to 800,000 child brides, with half of them married before age 15, according to the U.N. children’s agency.
First Lady Fatima Bio was among the key champions of the law that also provides improved access to education and support services for children affected by child marriage.
When it was passed by parliament as a bipartisan bill in June, she called it “a significant step forward in protecting the rights of our next generation."