From Child Marriage Survivor to First Lady: Fatima Bio Opens Up to BBC About Life and Advocacy

Fatima Bio says she escaped an arranged marriage as a teenager during Sierra Leone’s civil war before rebuilding her life in the United Kingdom, according to an interview with the BBC.

The Sierra Leonean First Lady told the BBC that her father had arranged for her to marry a man in his 30s when she was just 13 years old. She said there was “no discussion” about the marriage and that the decision had already been made by her family.

Speaking about the experience, Bio said the outbreak of the civil war in 1996 created an opportunity for her to flee the country with help from relatives before the wedding took place. She later sought asylum in the UK and arrived in London on Christmas Eve wearing only a T-shirt.

“England was my amazing grace. I went to England, I got my voice,” she told the BBC, adding that life in Britain gave her independence and the confidence to defend herself and advocate for other young women.

Bio later became an actress in the UK before meeting Julius Maada Bio, who is now Sierra Leone’s president. The two married before he assumed office in 2018.

The First Lady said her own experience inspired her campaign against child marriage in Sierra Leone. In 2024, the country passed a law banning child marriage, a move widely praised by international rights groups and women’s organisations.

Bio told the BBC that many girls in Sierra Leone continue to face barriers to education, including period poverty and early marriage. She said she regularly distributes sanitary products to schoolgirls in communities across the country to help reduce absenteeism during menstruation.

While many young Sierra Leoneans have praised her activism and outspoken style, critics argue that she has become too politically active for a first lady. Bio rejected the criticism, insisting that she has spent years advocating for women’s rights and social justice.

“I have been an activist for far too long to be a calendar wife,” she told the BBC.

The interview also highlighted Bio’s continued connection to Britain, including a council flat in Southwark, London, where some of her children reportedly live. She defended keeping the property, saying she pays for it herself and has “not committed any crime.”

BBC reported that Southwark Council declined to comment directly on her tenancy but said it regularly investigates concerns where necessary.