Nimba County – A female advocacy organization, Women Solidarity Incorporated (WOSI) and He for She Crusaders – Liberia is calling on the Liberian Government to ensure that the rights of the over one hundred children currently in Sande Bushes in several communities in Nimba are restored within 72 hours.
WOSI Executive Director, Marian Deah, said the act of initiating the children as schools are about to reopen across Liberia is a complete violation of their fundamental human rights to education.
Madam Deah said the practice which has to do with Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is being carried out particularly in Sekaimpa, Nimpa and Zolowee in Nimba County.
She stated: “The traditional leaders decision to have enrolled over one hundred school children in the Sande Bushes prior to the reopening of school is due to the lack of monitoring mechanism put in place by the Internal Affairs Ministry to regulate cultural activities in Liberia as well as to enforce penalties and fines on those practitioners that willfully violate government’s regulations”.
Madam Deah said due to the weakness on the part of the Liberian Government through the Internal Affairs Ministry to regulate cultural activities has given traditional leaders the lavish to escalate the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in eleven counties of Liberia.
She disclosed that the newest county in which (FGM) is now practice is in Grand Gedeh as it will sooner and later be extended to the remaining four counties.
Madam Deah addressing a joint press conference Monday in Monrovia organized by WOSI and He for She Crusaders – Liberia, described the actions of those traditionalists as unacceptable and totally undermines the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030 and the gain made by government in the protection of human rights in affirmation to article 5b of the Liberian constitution.
“As you made be aware, the 2011 Educational Law of Liberia prohibits all forms of practices that serve as mayhem to the child’s education and survival which includes the practice of FGM. Furthermore, on January 19, 2008 an Executive Order Number 92 was passed by Former President Ellen Johnson – Sirleaf further prohibiting and criminalizing the practice of FGM done on a person below 18 years in Liberia’, Madam Deah pointed out.
The Executive Director of Women Solidarity Incorporated said the enrollment of the school-age girls into the Sande bushes barely two weeks to the commencement of academic activities is a smart attempt by some traditionalist to deny many Liberian girls access to education which is a human rights violation to the girl’s education pursuit.
She narrated that this gross violation by these traditionalists contravenes all national, regional and international instruments or protocols that Liberia is a signatory to such as the African Union, among others.
Madam Deah further stated that their action undermines the education law of 2011 and Executive Order Number 92 through which the government pledged to uphold all positive practices.
She emphasized that the Liberian Government is fully aware that the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FMG) has no medical significant but rather poses grave difficulty to beneficiaries and worried why such practice must supersede girls’ access to education in that part of Liberia.
Women Solidarity Incorporated is among eleven women advocacies Working Group Against Female Genital Mutilation in Liberia.
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