VOINJAMA – The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 200 million girls and women have undergone FGM, a practice that involves the removal or injury of the external female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
By Rita Jlogbe, Contributing Writer
The WHO terms the practice as a violation of human right abuse that causes irreversible physical and psychological harm to millions of girls and women across the world.
In 2021 at the Generation Equality Forum in Paris, Liberia pledged to pursue efforts to end Gender Based Violence and became a signatory to collective commitment on eradicating harmful practices, including FGM.
In an effort to eliminating FGM, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia on February 6, 2023 proclaimed a nationwide ban on FGM at the celebration of the International Day of Zero Tolerance of FGM in Sonkay Town, Montserrado County, but there is not law to support the ban.
“Although progress has been made in eliminating FGM, Liberia is one of only three countries in the region yet to outlaw FGM,” Comfort Lamptey, UN Women Liberia Country Representative said. “We call on lawmakers to ensure that the FGM Bill that is currently before the legislature is passed into law.”
In 2022, then Deputy Speaker of the 54th Legislature and now Speaker of the 55th Legislature Fonati Koffa proffered a bill entitled “An Act Prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation of 2022.”
Representatives Thomas Goshua, Isaac Roland, Ceebee Barshell, Richard Koon and Rustonlyn Dennis of the 54th Legislature were co-sponsors of the Bill. The Bill was forwarded by plenary to the committees on Internal Affairs, Gender Equity, and Judiciary for deliberation. Those committees were to make recommendations to plenary; unfortunately the Bill did not get the needed support to be passed into law till the 54th legislature came to an end.
Liberia Traditional Queen Julie Endee, told journalists ahead of today’s celebration in Vezela that the ban on FGM is weak without legal backing.
“The ban is traditional and cultural, but you need a law because democracy is by law.” Endee said. “We can do initiation, we can dance, we can be trained on how to take care of our homes and be a dignify woman but just not mutilation.”
Since the ban on FGM was announced, traditional ceremonies to effectively enforce the ban have been held in four of Liberia’s eleven FGM practicing Counties including Montserrado, Grand Cape, Nimba and Bong.
The theme of this year’s commemoration calls for increasing survivors’ space for voicing out against the practice to protect girls at risk of being subjected to FGM.
This year’s celebration of Zero Tolerance for FGM is being held at the Vezela Vocational and Heritage Centre in Voinjama district, Lofa County.
Several activities are lined up to mark the anti-FGM Day including, traditional ceremonies to close bush schools and enforce the ban on FGM by NACCEL through technical support from the Liberia Crusaders for Peace and the official handover of the Heritage Centre to the Government of Liberia.
Lofa is the fifth of the eleventh FGM practicing Counties to conduct traditional ceremonies to ban FGM and Close bush schools in the country.
The Vezela Vocational and Heritage Centre is one of four vocational and heritage centres constructed by UN Women under the European Union and United Nationals Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women, harmful practices and promote sexual and reproductive health rights.
Other Heritage and Vocational Centres are located in Grand Cape Mount, Montserrado and Nimba Counties.
Ambassador Endee beseeches international partners to construct heritage centres in all eleven FGM practicing counties in Liberia. “We’ve done our part; it’s left with the international community to continue to keep the people busy.” Endee said.
According to UN Women, the vocational and Heritage centres are intended to provide alternative livelihood skills empower former FGM practitioners to earn a living. At least 800 former practitioners of FGM are benefitting from alternative economic livelihood programs including climate smart agriculture, business and vocational skills training with support from the government of Liberia through the Spotlight Initiative.