By Alfred Kollie, alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
In the wake of ensuring strict adherence to the suspension and ban of FGM activities in Liberia, a civil society organization under the banner, He For She Crusaders Liberia in collaboration with Women Point Women For Health and Development has ended a day-long awareness program on monitoring the ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
At the activities, which are currently going on in Lofa, Nimba, Grand Cape Mount, Montserrado and Bong Counties, some traditional women said: “We all agree that our children need to be allow to make decision either go or not go into Sande activity. For us, with the information, we are willing to leave the practice but asking for alternative livelihood.”
The awareness program was on the importance of ending FGM activities in Liberia and how they can all join together.
During the interactive engagement with traditional leaders (males and females), both Madam Nelly Cooper the Executive Director of the West Point Women For Health and Development and Mr. Tamba F. J Johnson National Coordinator, He For She Crusaders Liberia did engage and provide education to over 15 traditional leaders.
During the engagement session, information was provided on the February 4, 2022 policy document that was done and signed by the traditional leaders suspending for three years all FGM activities in Liberia.
Additional information was also provided on the February 6, 2023 banning of FGM activities in Montserrado, which was subsequently followed by traditional ritual rites ceremonies held in Nimba, Bong and Grand Gedeh Counties also banning FGM activities in those three named counties.
Traditional leaders were also informed on the February 6, 2024 closure of FGM activities in Lofa County.
After the information was delivered, traditional people expressed shock to have learned about the various aspects of FGM.
To their amazement, they said, “We are not aware of all of these information, our leaders do not reach out to us, as the result, we are left in the stage of being unaware. We are so happy to be informed on these going on processes. We all agree that our children need to be allow to make decision either go or not go into sande activity. For us, with the information, we are willing to leave the practice but asking for alternative livelihood.”
To ensure that our traditional mothers are being treated with relevant respect, the government needs to prioritize budgetary allotment in buttress to Development partners’ support. We need to ensure that our mothers are being supported adequately.
FGM activity can be eradicated if government and development partners’ can consider working with and through adequate national NGOs and CBOs to keep engaging our mothers and providing the needed information.