Todee District, Montserrado – As part of the annual celebration of International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Girls Get Equal- Liberia (GGE) with support from Plan International Liberia has ended a day-long dialogue with Traditional Leaders and Students of Todee District to put an end of all practices of Female Genital Mutilation.
By Francis G. Boayue
GGE, over the weekend, held a dialogue with traditional leaders, and students of the Presbyterian Todee Mission School in commemoration of International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation FGM Day which is hosted annually on February 6th to eradicate FGM.
Speaking during a panel discussion, the team lead of GGE-Liberia Faith Smith said the dialogue was intended to intensify an awareness campaign on eliminating FGM from Todee and other places across the country.
Madma Smith condemned the act of people forcing their girl children into such practice and called on traditional leaders across the country to help end the practice of FGM.
“We condemn people who are forcing their female children into this practice and we want to call on traditional and community leaders to join us in ending this behavior from our country” she added.
She said the issue of FGM does not only need the efforts of local leaders, traditional leaders, and international partners but also the imports and advocacies of young people whose future and that of their children are at stake, adding that the health implications of FGM do more harm with zero percentage of data recorded so far.
“In the case of childbirth in a serious case of FGM, the whole area is tightened and the woman experiences difficulty in giving birth and then there are chances of infection, pain, ovarian cyst, and in extreme cases, there’s death,” she added.
Speaking for the transitional leaders of Todee Township, Mr. Jospeh Goba called on the government to stop the running of both regular and traditional schools. According to him, running schools simultaneously has led to many females not competing in their academic year.
He called on the government through the Ministry of Internal Affairs to close down all traditional schools nationwide. “Traditional practice is undermining the future of our girl children’s education and the government must stop this now” he added.
He stressed the need for them as leaders to urgently help in ending the alleged harmful practices especially female genital mutilation, which according to him, poses a threat to the future generation of the country.
According to the report gathered, Female Genital Mutilation is practiced in more countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and by diaspora communities in Europe, the Americas, and Australia. It is estimated that three million girls are at risk of undergoing the practice every year, and 2003 million women and girls alive today have already been subjected to FGM. In many communities, FGM marks the transition from girlhood to womanhood: once a girl is subjected to FGM, she is considered ready to be married and start a family. This often represents the end of her education. The impact of this on survivors’ physical and mental well-being is devastating and life-long.
Girls Get Equal-Liberia, is a local organization with support from Plan International, to provides opportunities for girls and young women to participate in decision-making processes regarding issues that affect young and older women and also ensures girls and young women have the freedom to live without fear of violence or harassment, access to comprehensive information about their bodies, sex, and relationships.
