Romantic relationship in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone has no standard state registration process for dating and no nationally established relationship-counselling service identified in the reviewed material. Support is instead available through youth safe spaces, life-skills programmes, parent and community dialogues, religious discussions and adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health services. Since 2020, life-skills programmes have reached about 54,000 marginalized girls; programmes since 2022 have involved about 20,000 parents and 37,000 men and boys in discussions about harmful gender norms. Consent for sexual activity means agreement by choice with freedom and capacity to decide. Force, threats, fear, detention, sleep or unconsciousness, alcohol or drugs, disability, and abuse of trust or power can prevent consent. A person under 18 cannot legally consent to sexual activity under the Sexual Offences Act 2012. Consent can be withdrawn at any time; silence, lack of physical resistance, absence of injury and earlier agreement do not prove consent. Marriage is not a defence to sexual activity without consent. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024 took effect on 14 December 2024. It prohibits every form of marriage involving a person under 18. Cohabitation means living together in a sexual relationship; cohabitation with a child, attempts, conspiracy and helping such conduct are criminal offences carrying at least 15 years' imprisonment or a fine. Reports can be made to a police station, Child Marriage Prohibition Officer, Paramount Chief or other Chief, social worker, Local Council or child welfare committee. The Domestic Violence Act 2007 covers physical, sexual, economic, emotional, verbal and psychological abuse, as well as harassment and intimidation, within a qualifying domestic relationship. A complaint can be made to the police, who have a duty to respond promptly. Courts can issue interim or final protection orders and occupation orders. The Sierra Leone Police Family Support Unit investigates and prosecutes gender-based violence, rape, sexual penetration of a child, domestic violence and harassment. A person seeking help can call MoGCA on the toll-free 116 line through Orange, Africell or QCell. One Stop Centres provide clinical, medical and psychosocial support. The Rainbo Initiative provides free clinical, psychosocial and medical services, while the Legal Aid Board provides free legal services for poor or vulnerable people and survivors of gender-based violence. The Sierra Leone Police emergency number is 900. Sexual and reproductive health services include contraception, condom access, HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, and counselling. Condoms provide triple protection against HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. In 2023, modern contraceptive methods were used by about 640,000 women and were estimated to have prevented about 240,000 unintended pregnancies. Condom use with non-regular partners was estimated at 7% among women and 23% among men. Fees are not uniform nationally, so a local peripheral health unit or community health centre should confirm current availability and cost. Taking or sharing intimate images or voices without consent, threatening to do so, or distributing sexually explicit material can constitute an offence under the Cyber Security and Crime Act 2021. Penalties can include a Le100,000,000 to Le250,000,000 fine, 5 to 10 years' imprisonment, or both. Living together does not by itself establish a recognized marriage. For a civil marriage, the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) process includes notice of intention, eligibility and background checks, and NIN or identity documentation. The NCRA lists a processing cost of SLL 200,000 and requires the registration form within one month after the marriage ceremony. Customary marriage registration and customary divorce use a written application to the Local Council. Registration of a civil divorce requires a High Court Decree Absolute or final divorce certificate; the NCRA lists SLL 200,000, while older OARG fee information differs, so the authority should confirm the current amount. An ordinary breakup has no formal state procedure identified. People may use informal separation, health counselling, psychosocial support, legal aid or gender-based-violence protection and referral services. A formally recognized marriage requires the applicable High Court and NCRA process or the customary-divorce process through the Local Council. The latest nationally representative relationship and sexual-behaviour baseline reviewed is the 2019 DHS. It recorded a median age at first marriage of 19.8 years for women aged 20 to 49, with lower medians in rural areas and the Eastern Region than in urban areas and the Western Area. It recorded first sexual intercourse at a median age of 16.1 years for women and 18.3 years for men; 3.7% of women aged 15 to 49 reported two or more sexual partners in the previous 12 months, and 23.9% reported intercourse with someone who was neither a husband nor a co-resident partner. The 2019 baseline found child marriage among 30% of women aged 18 to 24, while MoGCA and UNICEF reported in 2024 that about one in three girls remained affected. Civil partnerships and same-sex marriage are not recognized in Sierra Leone. Government information states that same-sex relations between men are illegal, while same-sex relations between women are not illegal; LGBTQ+ romantic relationships can nevertheless involve serious legal and social risks and may require specialist legal and safety advice.