A multi-stakeholders panel dialogue has brainstormed the implication of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on health, psychology and general well-being of women and girls across the country.
The conversation held on Thursday, April 4, 2024 by locals and internationals participants seeks to examine and deliberate on the challenges, consequences as well as implications of FGM with a general call for the passages of the Sexual Reproductive Law which also aim at eradicating FGM by aborting legally.
Providing insight into international actions banning the practice of FGM, the UN Women Country Representative, Comfort Lamptey, said at the international, regional and local level, there are instruments that have recognized FGM as harmful traditional practice and demand legislative action to band it.
The UN diplomat pointed out that it’s estimated that twelve thousand girls are at risk to FGM around the world each day while in Liberia over 38% of females between 15 above have undergo FGM.
“From the Human Rights Law, to the African Chapter on Human and People’s Rights, the Convention on the Abolition of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and Girls, the Conventions on Right of a Child to the Maputu Protocol all have acknowledged the immediate need for countries to band FGM because its harmful. And Liberia is signatures to all of those treaties,” she noted.
According to her, the Maputu Protocol in fact mandate countries to adopt legislations to address FGM social and economic measure to ensure prevention, punishment and eradication of harmful traditional practice, exclusively FGM.
“We don’t have a shortage of mandate, either regionally or internationally to band FGM practice across the country. We all know that the practice is harmful but continue to be practice in Liberia. Finally, I also want you to know that we have taken some steps and have made some progress,” she concluded.
The World Health Organization Liberia (WHO) in collaboration with the United Nations Women (UN Women) United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection embarked on a day-long panel discussion on FGM health implications.
Making a special remark at the closed of the program, the World Health Organization Country representative, Dr. Peter Clement said that FGM poses serious threat to the health and mental well-being of women and girls across the society, adding that women continue to suffer from this practice.
“We want to thank everyone for coming. We want everyone here to know that FGM is a serious issues that is affecting the health and mental stability of women and girls. This need a collective stakeholder’s engagement in order to end this practice. We are excited that the senator is here, we look forward to policymakers taking the necessary decision,” he noted.
Speaking earlier, Health Minister Louise Kpoto, giving the welcoming remarks, urged the panel to deliberate on discussion that they can carry to the parliament to be able to request them to a place a final band and end to FGM practice across the country.
She describes FGM as a harmful practice that should be eradicated due to the negative implications and impacts attached to it.
