-Female Legislator and Stakeholders Rally Decisive Action to End FGM in Liberia
By Jerromie S. Walters
Liberia, like many parts of Africa, is deeply rooted in tradition, with its citizens holding strong cultural beliefs. Efforts to end harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM), have often been dismissed as foreign interventions, particularly by the United Nations (UN). However, some other Liberians, including those with strong traditional ties, argue that while tradition should be respected, harmful practices like FGM must be eradicated.
The perception of FGM as a “UN Women thing” has contributed to the slow pace—or outright lack—of financial and legal support from the Liberian government to eliminate the practice. Against this backdrop, Honorable Mioma Briggs-Mensah, a survivor of FGM and Representative of Salala Electoral District #6, Bong County, used this year’s observance of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM to call for collective action. She emphasized that ending FGM is not a Western agenda but a local imperative.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 230 million girls and women worldwide have undergone FGM, with the practice prevalent in 30 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The WHO condemns FGM as a violation of human rights. In Liberia, FGM is practiced in 11 of the country’s 15 counties.
In February 2022, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia, alongside the government, announced a permanent ban on FGM. Since then, traditional ceremonies to enforce the ban have taken place in five counties: Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Nimba, Bong, and Lofa. As the ban concludes this month, Liberia joined the global community in observing the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at the Invincible Sports Park in Fish Market, Sinkor.
Breaking the Chains of FGM
In her keynote address titled “Ending the Silence, Breaking the Chains: Protecting the Rights and Dignity of Liberian Girls, Representative Briggs-Mensah emphasized the urgent need to eradicate FGM and safeguard future generations. “As a mother of seven girls, I refuse to let them be subjected to this practice,” she declared. “If our Zoes can speak out, if I can speak out, then every single one of us must raise our voices. Let’s stop FGM together.”
She outlined a comprehensive strategy to end FGM, focusing on education, legal reforms, survivor support, and community transformation. “Education is critical,” she said. “We need to raise awareness, especially in rural communities where this practice is still prevalent. We must teach people about the dangers of FGM and its harmful impacts on the health, happiness, and futures of girls.”
Hon. Briggs-Mensah revealed that she is championing an Anti-FGM Bill in the House of Representatives and called for its swift passage. “The perpetrators of this violence must be held accountable,” she asserted. “We need to work with legislators, partners, and communities to make this law a reality.”
She also emphasized the need for psychological counseling, medical care, and safe spaces for survivors. “We must provide healing and support for survivors,” she said. “Their voices matter, and their stories must be heard.”
A Personal Plea for Change
As a survivor, Hon. Briggs-Mensah shared her harrowing experience with FGM, recounting the physical and emotional scars it left behind. “When I was just 10 years old, I was told that FGM was a ‘rite of passage’ and a cultural inheritance,” she said. “My grandmother was a Zoe, and this was presented as something every girl had to undergo to become a woman. But the pain was indescribable—the physical suffering, the infections, the bleeding. It stole my innocence and my happiness.”
She highlighted the lifelong consequences of FGM, including health complications, psychological trauma, and diminished self-worth. “The pain of FGM is not just physical; it touches the soul,” she said. “It leaves you questioning your place in the world.”
In her closing remarks, Hon. Briggs-Mensah urged collective action. “To every girl who has been through what I’ve been through: You are not alone,” she said. “To every mother, father, and community leader: Stand up and say no to this practice. We must create a Liberia where every girl is free to grow, to thrive, and to dream without fear of mutilation.”
UN Calls for Accelerated Action
Madam Comfort Lamptey, UN Women-Liberia Country Representative, delivered a message on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General, urging global stakeholders to intensify efforts to eradicate FGM by 2030. She described FGM as a “horrific act of gender-based violence” that has affected over 230 million girls and women worldwide.
“Eradicating this vicious human rights violation is urgent, and it is possible,” she declared, calling for strengthened global movements to dismantle harmful attitudes and beliefs. She emphasized the need for robust partnerships between governments, grassroots organizations, and survivors to accelerate progress.
Madam Lamptey commended Liberia’s efforts, including the development of an Anti-FGM Bill, but expressed concern over the resurgence of FGM in some regions. She urged the government to prioritize the passage of the bill and implement comprehensive strategies to address the root causes of the practice.
Like Madam Lamptey, Liberia’s Gender Minister Gbeme Horace-Kollie said Liberia has achieved a lot in ending all forms of violence against women and girls, as such, and the nation must not allow complacency to overshadow this progress. She rallied the need for a stronger collaboration to combat gender based violence, especially FGM.
Her word: “Liberia must be recognized for the strives we have taken in combating gender based violence- including FGM. This recognition can only be possible if we recallibrate our approach, deepen our collaboration and strengthen our collective efforts to end all forms of violence against women and girls. The time to act is no other time but now. We can not afford to delay, compromise or look away. Her voice, her future. This is the call to action that must guide us.”
Empowering Former Practitioners
Ma. Massa Kandakai, the Head Zoe of Montserrado County, accentuated the need to empower women who have abandoned FGM. She recommended providing training in skills such as tailoring and soap-making to ensure sustainable livelihoods for former practitioners. “If these women are empowered economically, they will not feel the need to go back to the bush,” she explained.
WONGOSOL’s Call to Action
Mrs. Esther David Yango, Executive Director of the Women’s NGOs Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), called for urgent action to end FGM. Like the Gender Minister and other stakeholders, she emphasized the need for collective efforts to eradicate the practice.
Mrs. Yango highlighted the Liberia Fight FGM Project, which has rescued victims and provided support to survivors. She also announced plans to offer economic empowerment training for FGM survivors and practitioners, helping them build sustainable livelihoods.
International Support
H.E. Karl Backéus, Sweden’s Ambassador to Liberia, called on the Liberian government to take decisive action, including enforcing the national ban on FGM and expanding community education programs. “Protecting girls is not a rejection of tradition,” he said. “It is an affirmation of the value of every girl and woman in Liberia.”
Ambassador Backéus expressed concern over the resurgence of FGM in some regions, warning that it undermines Liberia’s progress. He urged traditional leaders to honor their commitments to abandon the practice, emphasizing that culture must evolve to reflect the best values of society.
Liberia committed to ending FGM during the Generation Equality Forum in Paris in 2021, pledging to combat Gender-Based Violence. Despite this, Liberia lacks a law criminalizing FGM, even after signing international human rights instruments condemning the practice.
The proposed FGM bill, titled the ‘Act Prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation of 2022,’ awaits legislative action. On February 6, 2024, traditional zoes in Lofa County pledged to adopt positive traditional practices, closing bush schools and returning sande-related materials to Chief Zanzan Karwor.
This year’s (2025) International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, was held under the national theme ‘Her Voice, Her Future: Let’s Act Now by Ending FGM and Preserving Our Heritage.’
