In 2022, the National Council of Chiefs and other places in Liberia (NACCE) announced a three -year moratorium on female genital mutilation (FGM). A year later, the Council made another proclamation to ban the MGG and then the heroes ceremonies to put an end to five of the 11 counties where the MGM is practiced.
However, despite the prohibition, there have been continuous reports of activity of the MGF. In September 2024, the National Coalition against Dancing Practices (NACAPH), a coalition of civil society actors, issued a statement expressed by Conerns on the “generalized resurgence of female genital mutilation activities in Varosas de Liberia regions.” Now it is clear that the measures already have ineffective in the leg.
With the prohibition of three years expired in February, Liberia needs to move decisively against practice. Legislators must approve a legal criminalization MGG, which must be accompanied by government measures to convince communities to put an end to practice.
The FGM generally implies the partial or total elimination of external female genitals. This practice prevails in Liberia, since it is part of the practices of Sande’s society, a powerful and traditional secret society, which begins girls in adulthood in Bush schools.
According to the United Nations, more than 50 percent of library women between the ages of 15 and 49 have suffered the harmful procedure. However, the exact percentage is difficult to estimate because the secret nature of Sande’s society has resulted in the activities of the MGF to underline largely, since the victims maintain a code of silence.
There are also instances of leg journalists who are attacked and threatened with a blunt cut due to their reports on the MGF, which has been added even more to the sub -government problem.
Until now, the fight against FGM has been largely defended by the international community and civil society of Liberia. But the influence of Sande’s society, traditional beliefs and patriarchy have greatly prevented any attempt to take legal measures against practice.
For example, in 2016, the members of Liberia legislators eliminated a clause that prohibits the practice of a proposed domestic violence bill, and in 2022, a bill that prohibits practice in the Parliament of Liberia was introduced, but did not receive enough support to approve.
The pressure to finish the practice has resulted in provisional measures so far, which have a large ineffective leg. In 2018, on his last day in office, President Ellen Johnson Sirleeaf signed an executive order that imposed a year prohibition on the MGF. This was followed by a one -year prohibition of Naccel’s practice in 2019, and then the 2022 -year moratorium and the 2023 prohibition.
There are several problems with Naccel’s task with the promulgation and application of a ban. First, a prohibition declared by the traditional counter does not have the strength of the law. While the Council has traditional authority and influence on the communities that participate in practice, it is not clear how they can hold those who violate their prohibitions.
Second, some of the bosses and in other places foster the MGF or do not necessarily oppose.
Third, the entry The question of the MGF in the hands of Naccel means that any action on it is based on the political will of those who are in charge of the Council at a given time.
The promulgation of a legal criminalization FGM can solve all thesis problems. The State and its agencies have the operational capacity for supervision and apply a legal prohibition of Liberia. Facing the perspective of punishment would also have a more powerful effect on discouraging practice.
In addition to the law, the Liberia government must also establish a solid reporting and witness protection system to ensure that the FGM is properly reported. The FGM is largely a taboo issue and reports could lead to ostracization. People who choose to inform the authorities when the law is broken must be properly protected.
The implementation of a legal prohibition must also go hand in hand with other initiatives to combat practice. It has to be recognized that the MGF is also an economic issue, since most of the zoes, the female heads who traditional lead the initiation rites for the Sande society and the performance FGM, are charged for the service. Finishing would mean a loss or sustenance for hundreds of women.
Therefore, the Government must also try to expand programs that provide Zoe willing to leave the practice with training and skills behind that they can find alternative hoods of Livesi.
There is also a cultural element that needs to be recognized. Sande Bush schools have existed for centuries, and involve several other practices, rituals and training to prepare girls for their lives as adult women. The government needs to work with communities to ensure that these schools can work continuously without the MGG component. NaCcel can help in this regard and with communities accepting the criminalization of the MGF.
The best time to promulgate a law is now, since the political will to do so is higher than always. Around the last years, the most traditional bosses have demonstrated openness in the issue, which could influence legislators to vote in favor of said legilation.
Liberia is still one of the few countries where FGM is endemic that does not have a legal criminalization. This despite the fact that it is a signatory for a series of regional and international instruments, including the Maputo protocol, which require the end of this harmful practice. It is time for Liberia to take measures to protect your girls and fulfill their international commitments to end the MGF.
The opinions expressed in this article are typical of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.
