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.
