-Following Zanzan and Juli Endee’s Exit, as three-year ban ends this month
By Jerromie S. Walters
Many felt relieved when it became widely known that traditional leaders had decided to end what has proven to be a harmful traditional practice in Liberia. However, the current reality tells a different story. Ma. Massah Kandakai, the Chief Zoe of Montserrado County used to receive regular calls from Amb. Juli Endee, Liberia’s former Culture Ambassador. Those calls served as reminders of their commitment to uphold the ban on FGM or to discuss upcoming anti-FGM gatherings, but this has not happened for almost a year now.
As a result, Ma. Massah has expressed disappointment over the removal of both Endee and Karwor, believing it was a significant mistake by the President. “We pa we in the bush, what kind of power we get?” she asked.
Like Ma. Massah, other traditional women believe that the collaboration with Endee and Karwor played a major role in the gains made against the practice of FGM in Liberia. However, for more than eight months, the traditional women have not seen the same level of engagement from the Elder Council, UN WOMEN and the Ministry of Gender.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 230 million girls and women worldwide have undergone FGM, with the practice being prevalent in 30 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The WHO terms FGM as a violation of human rights. Meanwhile, FGM is being practiced in 11 of Liberia’s 15 counties.
Abandoning A former FGM Hotspot
The Montserrado County Chief Zoe is also concerned about the lack of communication from officials of both government and private institutions with which they have previously collaborated, including the new Chairperson of the National Council of Elders of Liberia and the new Culture and Arts Ambassador.
On August 17, 2024, President Joseph Boakai appointed Mr. Kekura M. Kamara, commonly known as Malawala Balawala, as Liberia’s new Arts & Culture Ambassador. He replaced Amb. Juli Endee. Also, Chief Zanzan Karwor lost his position as Chairperson of NACCEL to Chief Arthur W. Dowah,following an election held on August 9, 2024, in Ganta City, Nimba County. Chief Karwor was elected in June 2006, while Ambassador Endee was named Liberia’s honorary culture ambassador in 1995. Both of them were two of the many people who led the fight against FGM which resulted in the ban on the practice.
Since their removal, Ma. Massah said “We na (have not) hear from nobody yet oo; nobody na come to us,” she lamented. “We don’t even know the new people; we only hear them say they put new people there, but we never see them,” Ma. Massah disclosed.
In addition to the weak relationship with these institutions, she emphasized that the heritage center in Sonkay Town has been left in disrepair, and the traditional women lack the resources necessary to continue the alternative livelihood activities for which the center was established. She believes this neglect jeopardizes the ongoing fight against FGM in Liberia.
The resurgence
The traditional women appear vulnerable and this lack of support by the requisite authorities is somehow leading to the resurgence of the practice in other parts of the country. In Zenah Hill, many residents, including the town leaders, fear discussing traditional matters, particularly the Sande Society. Zubah T. Diggs, the Advisor of the Elders in the community declined to comment on the topic and directed the reporter to the Zoe and Commissioner of Weala District for further information.
Ma. Weto Musa is a prominent Zoe in Margibi County who owns and operates the Zenah Hill Bush School in the area. According to her, “some of them (participants of the Bush School), their parents can bring them.” She disclosed that the practice is not confined to women and girls from Zenah Hill alone; individuals from neighboring towns and villages often express interest in attending the bush school. “Da na this town alone, behind German Champ, behind Konola…. far, far places, and Todee, no bush school there, the people were paying their way , from there here la one thousand five ($LD1,500),” she narrated.
The Zoe emphasized that FGM should not be banned but done as a matter of consent because according to her, the interest in joining the Sande Society is genuine and that no one is forced to participate. “You will force somebody from that distance to come here?” she asked. “We don’t do that; when we do that, the law will catch us, Internal Affairs will catch us,” She further explained. “We can’t do it like that, when we force you, you will leak our secret; you will go explain to white people, You will go explain to other people,” she noted.
In the early 2000, Ma. Weto Musa usual graduate size was always a little over 500 women and girls from her bush school. She however noted a decrease in the number of graduates in recent years, attributing the decline to ongoing efforts to eliminate FGM. Despite these efforts, Ma Weto’s bush school is still active. On September 14 last year, she put out over 150 graduates.
Residents’ testimonies
Residents’ testimonies reveal deeper cultural practices surrounding the Sande Society. Sources within the town, speaking on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that in instances of physical altercations between women that result in bloodshed, both parties are sometimes demanded to provide a person each for initiation. This practice which they refer to as a “Sna,” is a fine for their action.
“So long the bush is open, when your fight, your can carry sna,” a resident disclosed. “Now the bush is open,” he continued. According the resident, the bush school put out graduates two to three times a year, with many members coming from neighboring towns, particularly around the Weala main junction.
In February 2022, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia proclaimed a three-year ban on the practice of FGM from 2022 to 2025, during an anti-FGM event in Nimba County. However, Ma. Weto Musa said they were informed that the ban would be lifted this February. Howbeit, if this doesn’t happen, she will concur with whatever decision the president will take. “The whole Margibi, we get delegates to go meet the president,” she disclosed. “As soon as we go there and the president says from today, I don’t want to see it, we will agree and come sit down,” the Zoe said.
According to Ma. Weto, the bush school is currently closed because academic school is ongoing. However, sources in the town hinted that the current cycle of the bush school commenced weeks ago. This was somewhat confirmed by the sound traditional songs coming from the back of Ma. Weto’s compound where the Bush school is situated.
Struggling with the Alternative Livelihood Center
In February 2023, UN Women in partnership with the government of Liberia dedicated a vocational center constructed by UN Women under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. The idea according to UN Women was to provide alternative livelihood skills to the practitioners of FGM, as well as other women and girls in the area.
According to UN Women, study reveals that the Zoes (practitioners of FGM) were into FGM because it was the only source of living for some; relatives of people who are forcefully initiated are required to pay certain amounts in cash or kind for the upkeep of their adopted relatives and their subsequent graduation. But with the introduction of alternative livelihood skills and village savings, UN Women believes that the Zoes will abandon the practice of FGM permanently.
Moses Kyne is the Supervisor of the heritage center in Sonkay Town. He expresses displeasure about the abandonment of the facility by the government and explains the different difficulties they are confronted with: “One of the challenges we have is to have somebody on payroll to really take care of the compound.” He explained that they were previously informed by Chief Zanzan Karwor, the former Chairperson of NACCEL that the Ministry of Gender would oversee the facility, but since then, they have been left to manage the center on their own. Currently, the water system in two major structures of the compound—the training center and hall—is not functional. As a result, they have stopped using the bathrooms in those areas. “This is one of the difficulties. When we call the UN they can say we should get to the government,” Kyne noted.
Moses Kyne at Sonkay Town Heritage Center (Photo Credit: Jerromie S. Walters)
Kyne said “Since the school was built here almost two years, it was this gone September that we tried to open it,” he narrated. “I called on the DEO to come and create a place for the children because the children in the town are plenty, and for the children to move from here and go Plemu, they can’t make it,” Kyne continued.
Currently, there are four volunteer teachers serving about 126 students. The school operates from Nursery to Grade Six, in alignment with the government’s academic calendar. This year, parents were asked to contribute 200 Liberian Dollars to help acquire teaching materials. The town plans to hold a meeting to determine a fixed amount that parents will pay, in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s fee requirements for government schools.
Like Ma. Massah Kandakai, Kyne expressed disappointment that since the coming of President Joseph Boakai’s administration, they have not heard from any of the ministries or institutions they previously collaborated with. The Ministry of Genderand NACCEL have historically played significant roles in the fight against FGM in Liberia but the people of Sonkay town are concerned about the recent abandonment by these institutions.
Alternative Livelihood Activities in Disarray
Regarding the alternative livelihood programs, many women in the town, including Jartu Tokpah, reported a lack of support to continue their activities, particularly in securing materials for tailoring and other practical skills. Since the last initiative ended six months ago, they have been attempting to manage on their own, as they have not fully grasped the concepts of their respective skills.
Ma. Jartu explained that their previous trainers had to leave due to lack of compensation, especially after the last program implemented by HOPE-Liberia concluded. Now, they are appealing to the government for assistance in finding trainers who can help them better understand their skills. “We na get support we can just come sit down here,” she said.
The majority of the women at the center are former FGM practitioners. They were assured by the government and its partners that they would be empowered if they abandoned the practice of FGM. Now, they feel betrayed and abandoned, especially since it has been nearly a year without communication from the government or UN Women-Liberia, which has referred them back to the government whenever they reached out.
Ma. Bendu Kollie, the women’s leader of Sonkay Town, confirmed that they no longer practice FGM. “we used to do Sande business, but since they stopped us, we na (are not) doing it again.” According to her, the women have committed to being present at the center, but often find themselves with nothing to do. Similarly, Ma. Mamie Gibson, the head of the women’s Tie and Dye group at the center, stated that they are unable to accomplish much due to a lack of materials. She also confirmed that the practice of FGM no longer exists in the town.
Key stakeholders weigh-in
As it stands, Liberia is grappling with a resurgence of female genital mutilation as traditional women express concerns over the lack of coordination and support for anti-FGM initiatives following the removal of prominent figures in the fight against the practice.
But Chief Arthur Dowah, the new chairperson of NACCEL, does not believe that the removal of Amb. Juli Endee and Chief Zanzan Karwor directly contribute to the resurgence of FGM. Chief Dowah however told this paper that he lacks the authority to make decisions regarding FGM until the three-year ban on the practice is lifted. The ban, declared on February 6, 2022, officially ended on February 6, 2025, but has yet to be formally lifted by the government.
“When the ban is lifted, they will come to me and say, ‘you are the new leader, we have lifted the ban, what do you have in mind?” Chief Dowah commented.Meanwhile, he called on international partners and stakeholders to ensure that heritage centers constructed for former FGM practitioners remain functional and that women are empowered through alternative livelihood initiatives.
Like Chief Dowah, Chief Bob Koffi Zah of Rivercess County
highlights the challenges faced by the new Council, which now operates under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. “This Council is not like the first Council, it falls directly under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so you cannot act independently,” he asserted. “During Zanzan Karwor’s time, the Council operated autonomously, but now we must work through the Ministry,” Chief Zah explained.
Amb. Juli Endee, a key figure in Liberia’s anti-FGM efforts, sees the resurgence as a slap in the face of progress made in ending the harmful practice. However, she doesn’t believe that her removal has a direct impact on the fight against FGM. “We need to be honest with ourselves and move the fight forward in honesty. Once our zoes (traditional leaders) and elders have agreed, we should stand on existing structures and move forward,” Endee stated.
According to the former Cultural Ambsaador, despite her removal, she has been actively engaging stakeholders, including the Ministry of Gender, UN Women, and other NGOs, to push for legislation criminalizing FGM. “We need to continue the advocacy and ensure that we work toward a legislation that will provide a clear framework for governance and enforcement,” she emphasized.
For her part, Madam Comfort Lamptey, Country Representative of UN Women Liberia, acknowledges the challenges but refrained from directly linking the resurgence to the removal of Endee and Karwor. In an in-person interview, she praised Amb. Endee’srecommitment to the fight and stressed the need for intensified efforts, including legal measures, to eliminate FGM.
Madam Lamptey also addressed concerns about the lack of support for heritage centers, which were established to provide alternative livelihoods for former FGM practitioners. She revealed that the land preserved for agricultural activities was part of short-term efforts to sustain the centers while rallying government and international support for skill training programs.
Legislative Efforts Against FGM
The ongoing legislative effort to combat FGM is encapsulated in the “Act Prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation of 2022,” currently under review by the House of Representatives of Liberia. Bong County District #6 Representative Moima Briggs-Mensah, the Chair of the House’s Committee on Gender, indicated that the bill remains in committee room, jeopardizing previously established plans for its consideration.
In an interview via phone, Representative Briggs-Mensah emphasized the bill’s goal is to eliminate harmful traditions while providing alternative livelihood opportunities for traditional women.
Hon. Briggs-Mensah reaffirmed the bill’s core aim of promoting “initiation without mutilation.” “That’s the main focus and intent of our bill; t is not optional and we don’t have an age range to say age or consent. No!”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Gender in collaboration with the House’s Standing Committee on Gender, on Friday, December 13, 2024, hosted the First National Policy Dialogue to review three pivotal legal instruments: the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Bill, the Amended Elections Law of 1986, and the Women’s Legal Service Bill, under the theme “Breaking Legal Barriers, Advancing Laws: Strengthening Policy Frameworks for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.”
The dialogue concluded with a consensus to develop a multi-stakeholder action plan for advancing the implementation of these laws. Follow-up engagements will be hosted by the Ministry of Gender and the House’s Standing Committee on Gender to monitor progress and ensure tangible outcomes.
Major instruments
Article V (ELIMINATION OF HARMFUL PRACTICES) of the Maputo Protocol discourages harmful traditional practices and urges governments to prohibit and condemn all forms of harmful practices that negatively affect women’s human rights and are contrary to recognized international standards. “State Parties shall prohibit and condemn all forms of harmful practices that negatively affect the human rights of women and are contrary to recognized international standards.”
The protocol provides that state parties shall take all necessary legislative and other measures to eliminate such practices. Liberia signaled its commitment to ending FGM during the global convening of world leaders and women’s rights activists at the Generation Equality Forum in Paris in 2021. Liberia pledged to pursue efforts to end gender-based violence and became a signatory to the collective commitment to eradicating harmful practices, including FGM.
However, the nation (Liberia) remains one of three West African countries without a law criminalizing FGM, despite having signed and ratified regional and international human rights instruments condemning the practice as a human rights violation, including the Maputo Protocol.
Challenges in Communication
Efforts to engage Chief Zanzan Karwor failed. Likewise, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection. The Ministry declined a formal request for an interview to addressed concerns from the traditional women. However, at the recent International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM on Thursday, February 6, 2025, 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 words: “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 recalibrate 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.”
