Sierra Leone officially banned child marriage on Tuesday with President Julius Maada Bio signing into law a bill to end the practice that remains widespread. Advocates hope the new legislation will better protect girls in Sierra Leone, around a third of whom are married before they turn 18, increasing the maternal death rate due to the physical risks they face from pregnancy, according to the health ministry. Parents or those attending such marriage ceremonies could also face fines. The legislation should “break the cycle of early marriage and its devastating consequences,” said Human Rights Watch researcher Betty Kabari. “It also sets a pathway forward for other African nations, such as Tanzania and Zambia, to revoke laws that permit child marriage.”

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Persons: Julius Maada, ”, Betty Kabari Organizations: Sierra, U.S . Bureau, African Affairs, UNICEF, Sierra Leonean, Reuters, Rights Locations: Sierra Leone, Central Africa, Tanzania, Zambia