Burkina Faso has adopted a new Personal and Family Code that sets the minimum marriage age at 18 years for both girls and boys, marking a historic shift in the country’s family law.

Previously, the law permitted girls to marry at 17 and boys at 20, with judicial exceptions allowing girls as young as 15 to marry under certain circumstances.

The reform has been hailed as a major step toward gender equality and child protection in the West African nation, where child marriage remains widespread. According to UNICEF, more than half of Burkinabé girls are married before turning 18, and nearly one in ten are married before 15.

Advocates say the new code could help protect girls from early and forced marriages, which are often linked to higher rates of school dropout, health risks from early p

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