Former U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has publicly praised Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, for her leadership in securing a United Nations resolution establishing an International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage.
In a social media post, Clinton highlighted the scale of the problem, noting that every year about 12 million girls are married before their 18th birthdays.
“Every instance of child marriage forecloses a world of possibilities for a young girl,” she wrote. “These girls are robbed of the opportunity to grow up safe and healthy and to pursue an education. In turn, the world loses their participation, their talents, and their ideas.”
Clinton expressed gratitude to Bio for championing the resolution, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly.
She noted that Bio, as First Lady of Sierra Leone, led efforts alongside Cape Verde, Costa Rica, and Morocco.
“Child marriage remains one of the most urgent, preventable violations of girls’ rights,” Clinton said. “Today’s resolution is an important step in the fight to recognize the right of girls and young women to freely and boldly decide their own futures.”
She called for greater resources and political will to end the practice and pointed readers to a report from Columbia University’s Institute of Global Politics, Accelerating Efforts to End Child Marriage, which she co-collaborated on earlier in 2026 with Bio and Sheryl Sandberg.
The resolution designates November 27 as the annual International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage. It was adopted by consensus and aims to raise global awareness, strengthen protective policies, and mobilize resources against the practice.
Bio has been a prominent advocate against child marriage for years. Through her “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign, launched in 2018, she has focused on gender-based violence, rape, and early marriage. Her advocacy helped lead to Sierra Leone’s 2024 Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, which criminalizes marriage involving anyone under 18, with penalties including significant prison terms or fines. Bio has spoken of nearly being forced into marriage herself as a child and has described the practice in stark terms, calling it “legalized rape.”
The Columbia report, produced by the Institute of Global Politics’ Women’s Initiative in partnership with the Center for Global Development, estimates that child marriage costs the global economy up to $175 billion annually in lost productivity and increased health risks, potentially nearly $2.5 trillion by 2040. It cites UNICEF data showing that roughly 640 million women and girls alive today were married in childhood, with about 200 million married before age 15. The report recommends investments in girls’ education, reproductive health services, and efforts to shift social norms, targeting a reduction in prevalence from one in five to one in seven over five years.
Clinton, a longtime advocate on women’s and girls’ rights who made ending child marriage a focus during her tenure as Secretary of State, has collaborated with Bio and Sandberg on the issue. Bio also serves as President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) and previously helped secure the 2022 UN proclamation of November 18 as the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence.
Advocates say the new international day provides a recurring platform for governments, civil society, and partners to intensify action against a practice that continues to limit education, health, and opportunity for millions of girls worldwide.
