PAYOWI condemns FGM incident in Lofa

MONROVIA, LIBERIA, August 15, 2025:  The Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI) has issued a strong condemnation following reports that 500 girls were recently “graduated” from a Sande bush school in Konia, Lofa County, on August 8, 2025, in what rights advocates fear involved acts of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) despite a national moratorium on such practices.

The incident, which occurred under the watch of traditional leaders in Zorzor District, has sparked national outrage. The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection condemned the ceremony, while the Ministry of Internal Affairs suspended Paramount Chief James Tarnue and Clan Chief Bigboy Kokulo for their alleged role in overseeing activities that violated the moratorium.

PAYOWI, however, stressed that administrative suspensions alone cannot undo the irreversible harm caused.

“Once the cutting is done, no suspension, no administrative sanction, can heal the wounds or erase the pain,” the organization said in a statement.

PAYOWI emphasized that the suspended traditional leaders were entrusted with enforcing the ban, yet the protection system failed the girls. “Protection and justice must happen before, not after, the blade falls,” the group noted, underscoring the need for proactive measures rather than reactive sanctions.

Medical experts have long warned that FGM carries no health benefits, instead causing severe pain, heavy bleeding, infections, urinary complications, and dangerous childbirth outcomes. The psychological toll includes trauma, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, while survivors often face emotional scars such as fear, shame, and loss of bodily autonomy.

“These 500 girls will live with the consequences every day in their health, education, and self-confidence. No disciplinary measure can restore what has been taken from them,” PAYOWI added.

While some in Lofa reportedly celebrated the “graduation” as a preservation of tradition, women’s rights advocates, Civil Society Organizations, and the Liberia Feminists Coalition strongly condemned the act, labeling it a clear breach of girls’ rights and a violation of the moratorium.

Some citizens explain that this split in local opinion highlights the urgent need for clear laws and strict enforcement, not just community-level agreements, to protect girls from FGM.

PAYOWI has joined other rights-based groups in calling for a full investigation into the Konia incident.

Immediate survivor support, including urgent medical care, trauma counseling, and educational assistance.

Full criminalization of all forms of FGM, with defined penalties and robust enforcement.

The creation of a community protection system with hotlines, safe houses, and rapid-response teams in high-risk counties like Lofa.

The organization also urged the Legislature to pass comprehensive anti-FGM legislation, the Executive to prioritize survivor care and justice, the National Traditional Council to take decisive disciplinary action against violators, and county officials to adopt prevention-first strategies.

“To the girls of Lofa,” the statement concluded, “you did not deserve this. You have the right to heal, to be heard, and to live without fear. PAYOWI stands with you not just in words, but in action.” -Press release.