In 2022, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia (NACCEL) announced a three-year moratorium on female genital mutilation (FGM). A year later, the council made another proclamation to ban FGM and then held ceremonies to end the practice in five of the 11 counties where FGM is practiced.
However, despite the ban, there have been continuing reports of FGM activity. In September 2024, the National Coalition Against Harmful Practices (NACAPH), a coalition of civil society actors, released a statement expressing concerns about “widespread resurgence of Female Genital Mutilation activities in various regions of Liberia”. It is now clear that the measures already taken have been ineffective.
With the three-year ban having expired in February, Liberia needs to move decisively against the practice. Lawmakers must pass a law criminalising FGM, which should be accompanied by government measures to convince communities to end the practice.
FGM usually involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. This practice is prevalent in Liberia as it is part of the practices of the Sande Society, a powerful, traditional, secret society, which initiates girls into adulthood in bush schools.
According to the United Nations, more than 50 percent of Liberian women between the ages of 15 and 49 have undergone the harmful procedure. However, the exact percentage is difficult to estimate because the secret nature of the Sande Society has resulted in FGM activities being largely underreported, as victims maintain a code of silence.
There have also been instances of journalists being targeted and threatened with forceful cutting due to their reporting on FGM, which has further added to the problem of under-reporting.
