Monrovia – The Executive Director of Women Solidarity Incorporated, Marian Deah, has called on parties to adhere to the one-year ban placed on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Liberia.
The one-year suspension on FGM was approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Traditional Council of Chiefs and Elders in June this year at a mass gathering in Ganta, Nimba County.
However, there have been reports that the practice is still ongoing in some parts of Liberia, especially in rural areas.
To ensure the ban is upheld and fully implemented, Madam Deah said there is a need for a collaborative effort by all stakeholders to monitor and raise awareness.
She made the assertions at a day-long workshop sponsored by the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) recently in Monrovia.
The forum was attended by representatives from various advocacy groups and the Ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs.
Speaking further, she thanked the partnering institutions and sponsors including OSIWA and AWDF for the support towards the effort seeking to end FGM in Liberia.
Female Genital Mutilation, FGM for short, is the cutting of the female genitalia. Backers of FGM said it is carried out as a way to control women’s sexuality, which is sometimes said to be insatiable if parts of the genitalia are not removed.
It is thought to ensure virginity before marriage and fidelity afterward, and to increase male sexual pleasure as well. All of these are not scientifically proven.
But anti-FGM campaigners say FGM violates several human rights of women and girls.
In addition to long-term health implications that sometimes lead to the death of victims, girls undergoing FGM often abandon school to spent significant time in the Sande Society.
This advocacy group and others have been calling for legislation to criminalize the practice in Liberia.
A significant step was taken by former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the very end of her administration when she signed Executive Order 92, temporarily banning the practice of FGM in Liberia for one year.
The temporary ban came to an end in January 2019, leaving women and girls vulnerable to FGM once again.
Meanwhile, in July 2019, the Legislature backtracked on efforts to criminalize FGM in the country when they deleted sections of the proposed Domestic Violence Bill of 2014 that had sought to outlaw the practice.
The lawmakers have been cautious with the debate bordering FGM in Liberia as they fear it may have an adverse political impact from their constituents.
The practice is deeply seated in most parts of the country, especially among rural dwellers.
But Madam Deah, whose organization, Women Solidarity Incorporated has been one of the leading voices behind the move to criminalize FGM said all is not lost.
She disclosed that a coalition of civil society organizations and partners, with consultation from the Traditional Council and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has crafted a draft standalone bill calling for the total ban of FGM in Liberia.
The draft instrument, she said, is expected to be presented to the Legislature, which is currently on its constituency break upon their return.
In the meantime, she called for a concerted effort in creating awareness about the one-year suspension and to educate relevant communities and traditional people on the harms of FGM.
“The process cannot be a failure because of the bill. So our partners supported us and we started again to get the draft bill,” she said.
“Now that we have the suspension and the policy in place. All we can do now is to strategize and continue the awareness to communities, especially the traditional people who are the custodians of FGM,” she urged.