A Civil Society Organization, under the banner ‘Child Resource Institute-Liberia’ (CRI-L) has launched a two-year campaign aimed at eradicating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Female Genital Mutilation comprises all procedures involving the removal of the external female genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
Most often, FGM is practiced on girls and young women under 18. FGM is not prescribed by any religion and has no health benefits. On the contrary, the practice can cause life-lasting physical and psychological trauma.
Speaking during the launch yesterday, December 13, 2023, the Executive Director of CRI-L, Victor Howard, said the End FGM in Liberia project is intended to advocate for the passage of the Anti-FGM Bill that is currently at the Liberian Senate for passage, so as to sustain the current ban on FGM practice in Liberia beyond three years, backed by law, and punishment for violators.
A new bill before the Liberian Senate, the draft act, entitled “An Act Prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation 2022”, would criminalize the cutting of girls under 18.
The bill was submitted by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Fonati Koffa, and has since been recommended for passage in June of 2022.
International partners, including the United Nations Population Fund, have celebrated the government’s move. However, Liberian activists are far less enthusiastic that the communication is lingering in the committee room of the Liberian Senate.
According to CRI-L Executive Director, the campaign against FGM can be sustained and achieved through advocacy engagement meetings with lawmakers, culture and traditional leaders, as well as women rights organizations, to amplify calls for the passage of the Anti-FGM bill into law and its full implementation.
He said his organization will educate 300 traditional, community, and local leaders about the Anti-FGM Bill, and it is expected to achieve its goal in December 2025, stating, “…conduct media advocacy and public awareness on the Anti-FGM Bill and the Domestic Violence Act, utilizing traditional and social media by December 2025.”
Officially launching the project, the Executive Director of Initiative for Women and Youth Empowerment (IWYE), Madam Musu W. Davis, said the practice of FGM is a violation of women, which, she said, is against their human rights, adding that all advocacy groups must stand firm and fight the harmful practice, adding, “it disturbs the mental and physical health.”
The campaign was launched under the theme: “No health benefit for FGM.”
