the Incident in Lofa in defiance Harm once done cannot be undone…Protection and justice must happen before, not after, the blade falls
PHOTO: PAYOWI Executive Director, Atty. Facia Harris
Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI) is deeply disturbed by the recent events in Konia, Lofa County, where 500 girls were “graduated” from a Sande bush school on August 8, 2025 in what rights advocates and eyewitnesses fear involved Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
While PAYOWI acknowledge the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection’s condemnation and the suspension of Paramount Chief James Tarnue and Clan Chief Bigboy Kokulo by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we must say this plainly: “once the cutting is done, no suspension, no administrative sanction, can heal the wounds or erase the pain.”
The activities in Konia happened under the watch of traditional authorities in Zorzor District, despite the national moratorium on Sande activities. Those now suspended were key traditional leaders tasked with upholding the ban yet the protection system failed the girls.
FGM has no medical benefits and causes both immediate and lifelong harm:
Medically: severe pain, heavy bleeding, infection, urinary complications, and dangerous childbirth outcomes.
Mentally: trauma, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Emotionally: shame, fear, loss of bodily autonomy, and strained family relationships.
These 500 girls will live with the consequences every day in their health, education, and personal confidence. No disciplinary measure against officials can restore what has been taken from them.
Some local voices publicly celebrated the “graduation,” seeing it as a preservation of tradition, while Civil Society Organizations, including women’s rights advocates and the Liberia Feminists Coalition quickly condemned the ceremony, calling it a clear violation of girls’ rights and a breach of the moratorium.
The split in local opinion shows why law and enforcement, not just community agreements, are necessary to protect girls.
PAYOWI joins other rights-based groups and calls for in-depth investigation in the matter, and immediate survivor support that provides urgent medical treatment where needed, counseling, and educational support for every girl affected; full criminalization of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in all forms, with clear penalties and strong enforcement against enablers and community protection system, providing hotlines, safe houses, and quick response teams in high risk counties like Lofa.
We urge the Legislature to pass comprehensive anti-FGM legislation, the Executive and relevant ministries to ensure survivors care and pursue justice without delay, The National Traditional Councils to take visible and enforceable action against those who violate the ban, and County officials to adopt prevention-first strategies so such incidents are stopped before they happen.
To the girls of Lofa, “You did not deserve this. You have the right to heal, to be heard, and to live without fear. PAYOWI stands with you not just in words, but in action.”