By Ragan M. Conteh

 Since its first sitting in July 2023, the First Session of the Sixth Parliament has been like a  hive of legislative activities.

It has approved over one hundred and fifty (150) Presidential nominees, thus demonstrating a high level of productivity and commitment to the legislative process.

Parliament has done over fifty-eight (58) Plenary sittings and the enactment of over seven (7) critical Bills and twelve (12) Statutory/Constitutional instruments.

The First Session of the Sixth Parliament also ratified approximately thirteen (13) loans, grants, and agreements, Four (4) protocols, conventions, and treaties.

The First Session of the Sixth Parliament was marked by acts of unification and compassion among Members of Parliament, notably in the enactment of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024 with unanimity, a private member’s Bill that was piloted by Hon. Mariama Munia Zombo and was later signed into law by President Julius Maada Bio.

This law is a testament to the leadership and compassion shown by the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Her Excellency, Fatima Jabbe Maada Bio.

This collaborative effort demonstrates the proactive role of the First Lady in the legislative process. The Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone assembled and enacted the said Act on June 20, 2024, and gained Presidential Assent on July 2, 2024.

The long title of the Act reads as follows, “Being an Act to prohibit child marriage, to provide protection for the victim of child marriage, and to provide for other related matters.”

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024, in its entirety, prohibits child marriage and protects the victims of child marriage and provides for other related matters.

Given its specific provisions, this Act is designed to address the “perennial menace of child marriage.”

It has been classified and perceived as one of the progressive laws enacted in the First Session of the Sixth Parliament.