By Abass Jalloh
The United Nations (UN) human rights experts have urged the Government of Sierra Leone to establish a comprehensive set of legal prohibitions against the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) for the safety of women and girls in Sierra Leone.
The call came from the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights following the death of a 21-year-old student who was reportedly subjected to FGM in Bonthe district, southern Sierra Leone.
“According to reports, the criminal proceedings against one of the perpetrators charged with female genital mutilation that led to the victim’s death have been impeded by the systemic failure to protect women and girls,” a statement from the commission dated 24th August 2022 reads.
It stated that “female genital mutilation is a grave form of violence against women and girls that amounts to torture. It violates the fundamental rights of its victims, including their physical integrity and rights not to be subject to torture or other cruel treatment and to life, sexual and reproductive health.”
It’s been observed that the lack of dedicated and enforceable legislation that criminalises and punishes the act is hindering judicial or other investigation into and prosecution of these harmful practices and unlawful killings. It was also highlighted that laws and policies need to provide clear accountability frameworks and disciplinary sanctions with respect to the act.
The experts also urged the strengthening of agreements with local practitioners and for an amendment of the Child Rights Act to prohibit the use of girls under 18.
It was also stated that discriminatory customs are entrenched in social norms and configurations of power, inevitably tied to one’s status and place in communities, and “much like other harmful practices of similar nature, female genital mutilation reflects and perpetuates a broader trend of gender inequality.”
FGM can neither be normalised nor used as a justification to invoke socio-cultural and religious customs to the detriment of the wellbeing of women and girls, the experts said, adding that they must be construed in line with the broader trend of gender-based violence, which simply cannot continue with impunity.
Copyright © Politico Online (29/08/22)
