NEW YORK — Former First Lady of Namibia and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals advocate, Monica Geingos, emphasized the necessity of changing public opinion alongside legal frameworks to effectively combat child marriage.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Geingos made these remarks following her participation at the High-Level Dinner on the Prohibition of Child Marriage in Sierra Leone, held in New York City on Thursday. She stressed that legal reforms are just the beginning. “Changing the law is just the first step, it’s equally important to change people’s minds. Legal reform alone is not enough to create lasting change. Advocacy and mindset shifts are key to protecting our children’s futures,” Geingos stated.
The issue of child marriage remains pressing with UNICEF reporting that in 2020 there were approximately 800,000 child brides, with half married before the age of fifteen, and a high prevalence of female genital mutilation among them. On July 2, 2024, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone signed The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024, which sets the legal marriage age at 18, uniting the country’s laws on this issue.
Geingos attended the event to support the advocacy work of the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Fatima Maada Bio, who has been actively campaigning against child marriages. She highlighted the importance of grassroots advocacy in changing societal perceptions and commended President Maada Bio for his dedication to these efforts, noting, “Changing the marriage contract through law ensures children are protected.”
