MONROVIA — Rights advocates across Liberia are mobilizing around an alleged mass female genital mutilation incident in Lofa County, transforming what they call a preventable tragedy into a coordinated push for the most comprehensive anti-FGM reforms the country has ever considered.

The Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI) and a coalition of civil society organizations are leveraging the Aug. 8 incident involving an estimated 500 girls to demand not just punishment for violators, but a complete overhaul of how Liberia approaches the practice that has persisted despite a national moratorium.

“We refuse to let this moment pass with just administrative suspensions and empty condemnations,” said PAYOWI in a statement that has become a rallying cry for the movement. “This is our opportunity to build the protection system these girls needed but never had.”

The incident has created what activists describe as a rare convergence of public outrage, government attention, and international scrutiny that will finally break through years of legislative gridlock on comprehensive anti-FGM legislation.

Rights groups, which have long struggled to gain traction on the issue in a country where traditional practices hold deep cultural significance, see the scale of the alleged incident as a watershed moment that demands systemic change rather than piecemeal responses.

“Five hundred girls in one day shows this isn’t about isolated bad actors,” explained a coordinator with the Liberia Feminists Coalition who requested anonymity due to security concerns. “This is about a system that fails to protect children, and we need system-wide solutions.”

The reform agenda being advanced by rights groups extends far beyond simply outlawing FGM. Their demands include establishing rapid-response prevention teams, creating safe houses and hotlines in high-risk counties, mandating training for traditional leaders, and implementing community-based protection programs.

The organizations are calling for what they term a “prevention-first approach” that will shift resources from investigating violations after they occur to stopping them before they happen.

“We know which communities practice FGM, we know when ceremonies typically occur, we know which girls are at risk,” said one advocate. “The question is whether we have the political will to act on that knowledge.”

Rights groups are strategically timing their campaign to coincide with the government’s response to the Lofa County incident. By framing their demands as essential follow-up to the suspension of traditional chiefs, they maintain pressure on officials who might otherwise treat the incident as a one-off enforcement issue.

The Liberia Feminists Coalition has begun organizing what it calls “accountability sessions” with legislators, demanding specific timelines for comprehensive anti-FGM legislation and threatening to make the issue a campaign topic in upcoming elections.

“Politicians love to condemn FGM in their speeches,” noted one coalition member. “Now we’re asking them to put their votes where their mouths are.”

The reform campaign is simultaneously pressuring different branches of government and traditional institutions, recognizing that effective change requires coordination across multiple systems.

For the Legislature, advocates are demanding passage of comprehensive anti-FGM legislation with clear criminal penalties and funding for prevention programs. They have identified specific lawmakers in key districts and are mobilizing constituents to pressure them directly.

The Executive branch faces demands for immediate survivor support services and the establishment of specialized units within relevant ministries to coordinate anti-FGM efforts. Rights groups are calling for dedicated budget lines and personnel assignments, not just policy statements.

The National Traditional Council, which has historically resisted interference in customary practices, is being pressured to adopt enforceable sanctions against members who violate the FGM moratorium.

Advocacy groups are also working to amplify international pressure on the Liberian government. Several organizations have reached out to diplomatic missions and international development partners, framing FGM prevention as essential to Liberia’s human rights commitments and development goals.

“The international community invested heavily in Liberia’s post-conflict recovery,” noted one rights advocate. “They have a stake in ensuring that recovery includes protecting girls from violence.”

Some groups are preparing shadow reports for international human rights bodies, using the Lofa County incident as evidence of systematic failures in protecting children’s rights.

Beyond high-level advocacy, rights groups are organizing community-level campaigns designed to shift cultural attitudes toward FGM. These efforts include working with religious leaders, engaging male allies, and supporting survivors who are willing to speak publicly about their experiences.

The strategy recognizes that legal reforms alone won’t end FGM if communities continue to view the practice as essential to their cultural identity.

“Laws matter, but so do hearts and minds,” explained a community organizer in Montserrado County. “We need both approaches working together.”

Central to the reform agenda is ensuring that the 500 girls allegedly affected by the Lofa County incident receive comprehensive support services. Rights groups are demanding immediate medical care, psychological counseling, and educational assistance for every girl involved.

They’re also calling for longer-term support systems, including scholarships, vocational training, and economic empowerment programs that can help survivors build independent lives despite the trauma they’ve experienced.

“These girls must be more than symbols or statistics,” PAYOWI stated. “They deserve to be the first beneficiaries of the protection system we’re fighting to build.”

Rights advocates acknowledge that their ambitious agenda faces significant obstacles, including cultural resistance, limited government resources, and competing political priorities. But they argue that the scale of the Lofa County incident creates an opening that may not come again.

They’ve identified specific benchmarks for measuring progress: passage of comprehensive anti-FGM legislation within six months, establishment of prevention programs in high-risk counties within one year, and demonstrable reductions in FGM incidents within two years.

“We’re not asking for the impossible,” said one coalition leader. “We’re asking for what every girl in Liberia deserves: the right to grow up without fear of being cut.”

As government officials continue responding to the immediate crisis in Lofa County, rights groups are working to ensure that the broader conversation doesn’t fade once media attention moves elsewhere.

Their success or failure in translating this moment into lasting reform may determine whether future incidents like the one in Konia become increasingly rare exceptions or continue as tragic reminders of a protection system that fails when it matters most.

For the advocates, the choice is clear: use this crisis to build something better, or watch it become just another entry in a long list of preventable tragedies. 

Monrovia, Liberia – The National Coalition Against Harmful Practices (NACAPH) is alarmed by reports indicating a widespread resurgence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) activities in various regions of Liberia.

In a release issued on Wednesday, NACAPH said this troubling trend contradicts the three-year moratorium issued nearly three years ago and the complete ban of the practice implemented over a year ago by the Government of Liberia through the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia (NACCEL).

The organization said the revival of FGM is a significant setback for the tireless efforts of both national and international partners dedicated to protecting the rights of women and girls in Liberia. These efforts align with commitments made under key human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Maputo Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, and the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

“It is deplorable and deeply concerning for our people, especially traditional women, to revert to the past by initiating women and girls into FGM practices,” said Marain G. Deah, a representative of NACAPH. “Our national efforts to end this practice have been celebrated both domestically and internationally.”

NACAPH is calling on the Government of Liberia, through its various agencies including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Independent National Commission on Human Rights of Liberia, (INCHR) to act swiftly against the resurgence of FGM. We urge these entities to ensure the immediate release of women and girls who have fallen victim to recent initiation efforts, and to hold accountable those perpetuating these harmful practices.

Furthermore, NACAPH encourages the Government of Liberia and all stakeholders, including local advocacy groups, international partners, and members of NACAPH, to mobilize resources and support initiatives aimed at eradicating FGM activities in the country. Our collective responsibility, nationally and internationally, is to champion the rights of women and girls at all times.

NACAPH is a membership-based coalition comprising over 17 human rights defender organizations committed to addressing various human rights issues, including Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C). We stand united in our mission to uphold and protect the rights of women and girls in Liberia.

The organization can be reached through Marain G. Deah, C. Mackins Pajibo
and Jaqueline Samuels Foster.

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 6^th 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.

Monrovia – Liberia has joined the global community to observe the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), under the theme: ‘Her voice. Her future. Investing in Survivor-Led Movements to End Female Genital Mutilation.’ The theme calls for increasing survivors’ space for voicing out against the practice to protect girls at risk of being subjected to FGM.

Globally, more than 200 million girls and women have undergone FGM, a practice that involves the removal or injury of external female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is a violation of human rights, causing irreversible physical and psychological harm to millions of girls and women across various communities.

Important progress has been made in eliminating FGM globally and in Liberia. Exactly, a year ago, on 6 February 2023, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia (NACCEL), made a historic proclamation to ban the practice of FGM in Liberia. Since then, traditional ceremonies to effectively enforce the ban on FGM have been conducted in four out of 11 FGM practicing counties in Liberia, namely Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Nimba and Bong counties.

Liberia also signalled its commitment to ending FGM during the global convening of world leaders and women’s rights activists at the Generation Equality Forum in Paris in 2021, where Liberia pledged to pursue efforts to end Gender Based Violence and became a signatory to the collective commitment on eradicating harmful practices, including FGM.

This year’s commemoration of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM will be held at the Vezela Vocational and Heritage Centre in 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 with technical support from the Liberia Crusaders For Peace and the official handover of the Vezela Heritage Centre to the Government of Liberia. Lofa is set to be the fifth county to conduct traditional ceremonies to ban FGM and close bush schools in the country.

The Vezela centre is one of the four vocational and heritage centres established by UN Women with funding from the European Union and the United Nations through the Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women, harmful practices and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights. Vocational and heritage centers provide dedicated learning space to teach former FGM traditional practitioners new skills to enable them to pursue alternative sources of income to replace FGM. Other heritage centres are located in Grand Cape Mount, Montserrado and Nimba counties.

To date, over 800 former traditional practitioners of FGM are benefitting from alternative economic livelihood programs such as climate smart agriculture, business and vocational skills training with support from the European Union, United Nations and Government of Liberia Spotlight Initiative.

As we observe the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, UN Women commends the traditional leaders and communities for their unwavering commitment to ending FGM in Liberia and embracing the concept of ‘initiation without mutilation’ which upholds positive cultural practices as part of the rites of passage of young girls, whilst eliminating FGM.

“Although progress has been made in eliminating FGM, Liberia is one of only three counties in the region yet to outlaw FGM,” says Comfort Lamptey, UN Women Liberia Country Representative.

“We call on all stakeholders to continue ensuring collective commitment to ending this harmful practice and ensuring the fundamental rights and dignity of women and girls are realised. We call on lawmakers to ensure that the FGM Bill that is currently before thelegislature is passed into law.”

UN Women is supporting the Government of Liberia and NACCEL to commemorate FGM Day and to conduct bush school closure events with funding from the Government of Sweden.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), otherwise known as Female Circumcision, is an age-old cultural practice that is carried out in many African countries. Here in Liberia, it is done by nearly 75% of the 16 tribes of the country. The act itself involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. FGM has no medical benefits and medical science has proven that this practice has far-reaching health implications. Some of these include severe bleeding and problems urinating, pain and difficulty having sex, repeated infection which can lead to infertility, cysts and abscesses, as well as psychological disorders.

By Kenneth G. Harding, Contributing Writer

The issue of FGM has been addressed at so many international forums at the level of the United Nations and other international organizations to make clarion calls for those involved to put an end to this practice. Unfortunately for my country Liberia, the more the calls are made, the more entrenched the practice becomes.  The reason advanced by those doing it is that it is part of their culture; therefore, and it must be upheld at all costs. The question that is worth asking is, is the practice of FGM cultural as has been claimed by its practitioners? I would answer this question with a resounding NO.

The fact of the matter is the practitioners of FGM are only using culture as a guise, but the thing has become a very big business. The cost of admission for a single girl child in the Sande Bush far exceeds the cost of registration for an upper-level primary school student in a public school. Apart from the money that is paid, each initiate must also carry rice and other edible items that go along with the rice because they must be fed for the duration of their stay in the bush school. The more initiates enrolled in the bush school, the more money the Zoes and the traditional leaders get. I have even learned that some higher ups from the Ministry of Internal Affairs often go to places where these festivities are held to receive their brown envelopes.

Politicians on the other hand, have turned a blind eye to this practice because they want to continue to enjoy the confidence of the local people. The legislators must be re-elected, and the county administrators must maintain their status quo.  This has given the traditional leaders the leverage to do whatever they want. I was not surprised when a group of traditional leaders from one county in Western Liberia came out to openly reject the three-year moratorium placed on the bush school. They cited their culture as the reason for doing so. 

If it, had it been some pressure group that was voicing its rejection of some government policy, government’s response to that would have been quick and decisive. When it comes to the issue of FGM, it is business as usual.

Despite all these, the Government of Liberia is a signatory to several International Human Rights instruments including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and those dealing with Reproductive Health Rights. Liberia is also a founding member of the United Nations. Instead of being in the forefront in the cause for the eradication of FGM, the Government of Liberia has decided to compromise the health of its own children for political interests.

Can you imagine, some of the girls that are enrolled into these bush schools are as young as six years old? I recall when I was a classroom teacher; one of my female students told me that she was about six to seven years when she was admitted into the bush school. And she said further that if she were old enough to decide for herself, she would never have gone there. She said also that she regretted why her parents took her there in the very first place.

What is even more astonishing is the practice of abducting and forcibly circumcising girls and women. Take the case of the news story published in the October 19th edition of the FrontPageAfrica newspaper, where an 11-year-old girl was abducted, chained, and circumcised. Had she not been rescued and rushed to the hospital in time, she probably would have died. This is barbarism to the highest order. For God’s sake, we live in a civilized world, and if we in Liberia claim to be a part of that civilized world then it is prudent that we think and behave like civilized people.

Conclusion

I would like to conclude this article with the following recommendations:

That the Zoe and all those responsible for the abduction and circumcision of the 11-year-old child be arrested, tried and made to serve a term in jail.

That the moratorium placed on the bush schools be enforced to the letter. And anyone violating said moratorium be arrested, tried in court and made to serve a term in jail or pay a huge fine.

At the end of the three-year moratorium the Government and its corresponding stake holders should have a conference to review the terms and conditions of the bush schools (Sande and Poro). At the end of the conference the issue of genital cutting and marking or piercing of the skin should be abolished and may be replaced by some other ritual such as the killing of cow or some domesticated animal.

The practice of admitting minors into the bush school should be abolished. Five- or six-year-old kids are too young to understand the inner workings of their culture.

Only adults from 18 years and above should be admitted. People being admitted at this age will fully understand and appreciate the importance of the bush school and would want to even go to the extent of contributing to its sustenance.

Admission into the bush school should not be compulsory, but by choice.

About the author:

Kenneth G. Harding is a former employee of the Ministry of Education. He also worked with several international NGOs including World Vision Liberia, Creative Associates International Incorporated, Concern Worldwide and Research Triangle Institute.

MONROVIA – It seems that Deputy Speaker Fonati Koffa’s order to the Liberia National Police to arrest Zoe Famatta Musa has gone unheeded.

Zoe Musa allegedly kidnapped and circumcised 11-year-old Tracy, who nearly bled to death.

News reaching this newspaper states that Zoe Famatta Musa was never arrested and has returned to Kakata to continue her initiation of a new batch of young women and girls into the Sande.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives had called for the arrest of the traditional lady, following his meeting with officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It all happened after he had read the initial story from this newspaper concerning what the lady had allegedly done to little Tracy.

“We are saddened by the news of the snatching in Margibi County of a little girl, who is now said to be seriously injured and is undergoing treatment as a result of female genital mutilation (FGM) done by a breakaway traditional group. Today, we had a fruitful meeting with the Assistant Minister Joseph B. Jangar for Customs and Cultures and Director William Jallah for Customs and Cultures. We will offer assistance to the victim; we call on the Liberian National Police (LNP) to arrest the perpetrators for kidnapping, assault and torture,” he said on Thursday, October 20th.

True to his promise, Deputy Speaker Koffa assisted the family with some money towards the child’s medical treatment and food.

When contacted via mobile regarding the arrest warrant, the Liberia National Police Spokesman Moses Carter said his office has no idea of the arrest warrant made by Deputy Speaker Koffa, but promised to look into it.

“I made contact with our Women and Children Office in Kakata, Margibi and they informed me that no investigation of such incident is currently going on by the police, or perhaps, it is being handled by traditional authorities. If it’s appropriate for Police involvement, we will intervene and report to the public,” said Carter after he had followed up.

When contacted via mobile phone, Assistant Minister Jangar said he was not aware of Zoe Musa still operating her “bush”, because the County Inspector had told him the Sande Bush was shut down following the incident. He had promised to call the County Inspector to find out.

Not only did the plight of the little girl prompt the Deputy Speaker to call for the zoe’s arrest, it also drew the attention of others, including Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah R. Gbowee, who, too, called for the arrest of the Zoe Musa In her weekly column, “The Children, Our Future.”

“I recently read on FrontPageAfrica online newspaper that an 11-year-old girl had been forcibly recruited in the Sande in Liberia. Her private part was cut, and she could likely suffer from a fistula. More appalling is the fact that her alleged perpetrator is still walking around the community unbothered while the child is in agonizing pain in the hospital. I got in touch with Journalist Mae Azango on what I could do to help; she asked that I add my voice to those condemning the act to call for the perpetrator’s immediate arrest. Until we take serious actions to protect our children, we adults must realize that the work that we are currently doing may not yield a lot. I join my voice with the many calling for Zoe Famatta Musa’s immediate arrest in the abduction and aggressive cutting of little Tracy in Liberia. The children are indeed our future, and they MUST be protected,” she wrote.  

It can be recalled that little Tracy, not her real name, was kidnapped along with other children on the orders of the head Zoe, Famatta Musa.

Little Tracy’s case report, stated that she was chained by her both legs to stop her from escaping, while her face was tied with a black cloth and was eating only leftover food. The Benson Hospital Medical Report said the young girl’s clitoris was removed and a blood vessel was exposed which led to heavy vaginal bleeding. She lost a lot of blood as evidently shown by the use of more than six sanitary pads a day. This led to her needing to be immediately transfused with two pints of blood to save her life after she had been rescued from the bush.

Little Tracy, who is now discharged from the hospital, is placed on a three-month medical and psychosocial treatment. She still looks a little pale as she laid her head on her mother’s lap during the interview with FrontPageAfrica. 

“The doctor told us that our daughter’s future is damaged because she won’t be able to go close to a man, least to say she will get pregnant. They said either she will die or the child will die if she gets pregnant and goes to have the baby. What the law says about kidnapping and forceful initiation should take its course. Those people took my child against her will and unknown to us; so they kidnapped her and should pay for what they did,” Tracy’s mother said, sadly.

Little Tracy briefly explained that after cutting her, the zoe women mashed different kinds of leaves and added salt, powder soap and cane juice and sat her inside the tub with the mixture, but it did not still stop the bleeding.

“The doctor also said due to all the mixture they sat her in and applied to the raw sore, has killed many of her cells around her private part, which is another problem,” said the mother.

She said before leaving the hospital, the doctor told them to feed the child with rich food in order to build up her blood level.

“Due to the loss of blood that led to the replacement of four pints of blood, he said she only has 10 grams of blood, so we need to feed her with rich food to replace the balance four grams because an 11-year-old child needs at least 14 grams of blood,” she said.

She said her major concern is the safety of her daughter, because as long as the Sande Bush is still operating, the little girl’s life is at risk in Kakata.

“The zoe women promised to kill her if she tells a soul of what happened in the Sande Bush, they already know her. I went to Kakata recently and heard that the zoe woman is back in her bush and is still carrying out her circumcision on other girls. I could not go there before she forcibly initiates me,” she said in fear.

She thanked the Deputy Speaker for extending a helping hand to the family and they will start paying for the three months treatment and psychosocial counseling because the child is traumatized, and they don’t know how they will get the money for the rest of the treatment. The mother is at the same time asking for assistance from kind-hearted individuals to help the child get both treatments. Interested people can reach the mother through 0886545960 and or 0776189406.  

Rev. Noah Tour, National Vice President, United Liberia Inland Church, who had brought this whole situation to the limelight, also thanked Deputy Speaker Koffa for his contribution. Rev. Tour re-echoed that he had heard that Zoe Musa has been let loose and is gone back to Kakata, which she is said to be still carrying out her circumcision of other little girls against their will.

“This thing must stop; the zoe must be arrested and the bush be closed down. We as a church are saying enough is enough! On the American dollar, there is a symbol of an eagle carrying an arrow and an olive branch. Right now we are offering the olive branch to the Zoe and the government to stop this act but if it does not stop, we will take the arrow approach and go after the zoe and burn down that Sande bush. We have enough manpower to do that. So, we are calling on the government to intervene and if nothing is done, let them not blame us. The law in this country protects every citizen; we do not go after their members to force them to come to church, and therefore they should not grab our members to initiate them against their will,” he emphasized.