Stop FGM FGM Persists in Liberia despite Dangers Thursday marks the U.N.-sponsored International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Despite international campaigns, the United Nations says millions of girls in Africa remain at risk. In Liberia, there is no law against it and FGM is still common practice. It is around this time of year in Margibi County that village women take girls into the forest to induct them into the secret female society known as Sande. As part of the initiation, they cut off the girls clitorises. These inductions happen in rural communities around the country. It is estimated that about half of Liberian women have been initiated into Sande. The government has said it is against FGM, but continues to stop short of criminalizing it. The Ministry of Gender and Development issued a statement in late January calling on communities not to do FGM as part of the Sande initiations, citing its dangers, but the women of the Sande society say they will not stop. A girl who has not had her clitoris cut off would not be allowed to attend community meetings or participate in local decision-making. She would be seen as unclean, and could even face accusations of witchcraft later in life. Activists say FGM violates a girls human rights and puts her at risk for serious health complications, including problems during childbirth. However, speaking out against FGM can be dangerous in Liberia. In 2012, an activists home was burned down after she spoke on the topic before the United Nations in New York. A local journalist got death threats after she published an article on FGM. Vah Tamba, a government social worker at the Margibi County Gender office, frequently receives threats related to his work. However, he said that rather than banning FGM, the government is focusing on providing jobs skills training for women involved in the practice to give them another way to earn a living. The idea, he said, is to distract them from FGM.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Feb 2014 15:44:14 +0000
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