By Lemuella Tarawallie
UNFPA together with UNICEF and other partners have launched a global programme with the aim of helping to formulate a strategy for the reduction of adolescent pregnancy and child marriage in Sierra Leone.
The launching of the Third Phase of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme was done at the Radisson Blue Hotel in Freetown on Thursday 10 October 2024.
The Co-chairman of the launching, Charles Vandy, stated that the Third Phase was a continuation of what they started in the rolling out of the Second Phase.
The UNICEF Country Representative, Rudolf Schwenk, said they came together to reaffirm their collective commitment to the future of Sierra Leone’s children. He noted that these interventions combined the ongoing life–skills education, positive parenting and community engagement that would help to ensure that every girl in Sierra Leone was able to develop their full potential.
Rudolf Schwenk added that since 2016 UNICEF had the privilege of working with the Government of Sierra Leone through different development programmes to end child marriage and that it involved providing assistance to 60,000 girls through life-skills and safe spaces.
He highlighted the vital and equally important roles played by communities, and that UNCEF had reached over 25,000 parents and care givers with positive parenting skills and 80,000 community members including traditional leaders who had participated in dialogues around child marriage and adolescent rights.
The UNCEF representative concluded that, as they had moved to Phase Three of the global programme to end child marriage, “UNICEF-UNFPA will endeavour to explore the potentials of social protection programmes such as reproductive social safety net and the use of development programmes to further reduce child marriage and adolescent pregnancies in Sierra Leone”.
The UNFPA Country Representative, Nadia Rasheed, stated that the launching was a celebration of progress while they recognize the need to strengthen and accelerate actions. She added that it was fitting that they had launched the programme to coincide with the International Day of the Girl Child, which called the attention of UNFPA and UNICEF to recognise the power of girls’ voices and to invest in their future.
Nadia Rasheed stated that, “child marriage robs girls of their rights, it interrupts their education, it reduces their equal opportunities and it also puts their health, well-being, and even lives at risk”. She added that, “this reality matters, not just with girls who have been affected but it matters to all girls in society”.
She concluded that UNFPA joined UNICEF in commending the Government of Sierra Leone and all implementing partners who had joined hands to end child marriage in Sierra Leone.
The Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Dr Isata Mahoi who officially launched Phase Three of the UNFPA-UNICEF programme to end child marriage, stated that the launch represented the collective commitments by the United Nations family to sustain their partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone on the United Nation’s joint efforts to end child marriage.
Dr Isata Mahoi noted that she was glad to know that, “Sierra Leone has made commendable progress in reducing child marriage from 48% in 2008 to 30% in 2019”. She noted that despite the progress made in reducing child marriage in Sierra Leone, the rate of child marriage in Sierra Leone remained alarmingly high.
She concluded that UNFPA-UNICEF would continue to work alongside leaders, families, and youths to change attitudes and norms surrounding child marriage and that UNFPA-UNICEF remained committed to ensure universal access to health information and services.