"You Are Going To Jail If You Marry A Girl Below Less than 18 Years"- Gambian President Tells Citizens

Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has told lawmakers in his country to introduce legislation to ban child marriage. Jammeh said anyone that marries a girl aged below 18 years would be jailed for up to 20 years.

The president was speaking at the Eid ul-Fitr celebrations at the end of Ramadan, and said that parents and imams who perform the ceremonies would also face prison.

According to the UN children’s agency (UNICE), around 46% of girls in Gambia get married before reaching 18 years.

Announcing the ban and jail terms, Mr Jammeh said: “If you want to know whether what I am saying is true or not, try it tomorrow and see.”

In December last year, he also outlawed female genital mutilation (FGM) with a prison sentence of up to three years for those that ignored the ban.

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