Monrovia – Gender Minister Piso Saydee Tarr has backed the removal of the aspect on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) from the Domestic Violence Bill. The controversial bill, which, according to the Gender Minister, was recently signed into law on August 13, 2019 by President George Manneh Weah, sparked argument in the country when the FGM component was removed from the Bill before it was passed into law by the legislature.
Report by Mae Azango, [email protected]
“I should not always be the one speaking on this issue as to why FGM was removed from the Domestic Violence Bill because we have been living with culture and tradition for many years in Liberia and something that has been done for centuries cannot be changed overnight,” said Min. Tarr.
Speaking at the Women Lead Conference held by the Gbowee Peace Foundation, Minister Tarr said because people are coming from outside to suggest that Liberia changes her culture, does not mean it should happen.
The two-day conference was held over the weekend with funding from the African Women Development Fund (AWDF).
“Nobody can come from outside and tell you how to control your house and you do it. But as human beings and in order to catch up with the rest of the world, we have to take our time to respectfully engage our traditional mothers and fathers and dialogue with them, instead of putting it on paper while people are still hiding to do it,” she stated.
In January 2018, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf just few days to her leaving the presidency, had imposed a one-year ban on female genital mutilation.
President Sirleaf’s ban made it an offence to perform FGM on anyone under 18.
At that time, campaigners were skeptical that the ban would not have been enforceable and they had urged President-elect George Weah to push for a permanent law.
Unfortunately, with the revelation from the Gender Minister that the bill was signed on August 13, it means that the President made little or no effort at pushing lawmakers to permanently ban FGM practice in Liberia.
During the conference, Min. Tarr, along with a proxy from Chairperson of the Women Legislative Caucus of Liberia, Julie F. Wiah’s office, received the Policy Paper Titled: “THE LIBERIAN WOMEN LEAD ADVOCACY AGENDA,” on behalf of the government and it was presented by the Liberian Women Lead Project.
“I should not always be the one speaking on this issue as to why FGM was removed from the Domestic Violence Bill because we have been living with culture and tradition for many years in Liberia and something that has been done for centuries cannot be changed overnight.”
Piso Saydee Tarr, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection
Speaking further, the Gender Minister said Liberian women face many challenges including sexual, gender-based violence, early childhood marriage and FGM. Despite the challenge, the Minister emphasized that it is women who have to raise their voices to speak against those challenges.
“When we speak as women, we have to be intentional and purposeful, meaning in the common Liberian way, we should mean it to do it. You should put strong behind the document you are giving me, by calling to find out what’s going on or how far I am gone with it,” she urged.
The two-day conference brought together women leaders from the 15 counties, including paramount chiefs, who had earlier met in Bong County to draft their own policy paper. It was this paper that they had brought to other women in Monrovia for them to make their inputs and jointly present it to the government on behalf of woman and girls in Liberia.
The policy document, which listed challenges women face, highlighted high maternal mortality, sexual & gender-based violence, poor health system, limited access to education for women & girl, increased child labor, increased drug abuse among young people, women’s political participation and traditional practices – bush schools functioning alongside formal academic school.
The advocacy group in the policy paper stressed the interference of the traditional practices including bush schools, always functioning alongside academic school, hence preventing the girl child to excel academically. According to them, this is one of the main reasons why the girl child is lacking behind in formal education.
“The issue of child labor also ties into the massive functioning of bush schools in Liberia. Parents prioritize bush schools over formal education, which leaves mostly the children vulnerable because after initiations, they are revered as adults who are to fend for themselves and run homes,” said the women.
The women advocacy group said the document cannot exhaust the amount of issues hampering women rights including under representation in political office.
Currently, women occupy two out of 21 Cabinet positions, eight out of 94 legislative positions, and five out of 15 county superintendent positions. There are also two women on the five-member Supreme Court Bench.
“We are extremely concerned about high maternal mortality rates which stand at 725 deaths per 100,000 live births and high adolescent birth rate at 108.8 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19. There has been limited progress in addressing gender disparities within the Liberian education system. For example, there are very low levels of female education which stand at 17.3% of females aged 25 and older to have at least some secondary education as compared to 39.7% of males in the same age group.”
The women urged Representative Julie F. Wiah that as she and her colleagues in the legislature continue their deliberations, they should also review the drug law to make it a non-billable offense, to enforce the Rape and Domestic Violence Law, revisit & strengthen the ban placed on the operations of bush schools to ensure that kids are kept in regular schools, also to improve health facilities by providing equipment for laboratories, better health care, ensure that supplies of drugs and incentives are provided to motivate doctors/nurses.
Each county had two representatives at the conference. The representatives presented the plights affecting women and girls in their counties. The problems listed by the different representatives were all similar.
A section of the conference, became more engaging when women were asked to sing in their various vernaculars. Gbarpolu, Lofa, Bong, Cape Mount, Maryland, Grand Kru all raised familiar songs that most of the participants sang along.
Representative Samuel R. Enders, in whose District #6 the conference was held, encouraged the women to remain focused on what they are advocating for.
