Liberia: Enact a law banning FGM and ensure that Ruth Berry Peal’s case is swiftly concluded

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Ruth Berry Peal with her lawyer

In April 2010, Equality Now issued Women’s Action 37.1 highlighting the case of Ruth Berry Peal who was kidnapped and forcibly subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) by some members of the politically influential Sande female secret society. The Sande society promotes and carries out FGM as part of an initiation rite into womanhood. More than 58.2% of Liberian women have undergone FGM. Ruth filed a lawsuit against the women and, in July 2011, they were found guilty of kidnapping, felonious restraint and theft of property and were sentenced to three years imprisonment. However, the defendants appealed the judgment and were released on bail. The appeal has been pending at the Supreme Court since July 2011 with no hearing date set, reportedly due to a lack of resources allocated to prosecuting this case. Equality Now and our partners are concerned about the delay in hearing this appeal and finalizing the case, especially as the perpetrators remain free on bail.

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In June 2011, Equality Now met with the Liberian Minister of Internal Affairs regarding Ruth Berry Peal’s case and ending FGM in Liberia. During the meeting he indicated that he would stop the issuance of FGM permits and would work with the Ministry of Justice to draft a law banning FGM. In November 2011, the Government took steps towards ending FGM by persuading Sande leaders to stop the practice, which is at the core of the female initiation rituals, and a ceremony to mark the event took place in the presence of the Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.  Subsequently the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a notice to all counties directing that all Sande activities be shut down and underlining that violators would be held liable. While the Ministry’s letter does not categorically state that permits will not be issued to FGM practitioners, our partners confirm that it implies that Sande activities will not be allowed to take place.

While Equality Now and partners welcome these efforts to stop FGM, we are alarmed by the following recent developments:

• In March 2012, journalist Mae Azango was forced into hiding after publishing a story on FGM. Members of the Sande society have threatened to forcibly subject her to FGM.
• In May 2012, more than 750 girls, believed to be encouraged by Sande members, underwent FGM in the Nimba County despite the Ministry of Internal Affairs notice to stop Sande activities.

Despite President Sirleaf’s pledge to make women’s rights and health a national priority in Liberia, it is greatly concerning to note the lack of government intervention in the above-mentioned cases, the failure to conclude Ruth Berry Peal’s case, as well as remarks by the Minister of Information in media reports indicating that the government has no plans to end FGM. This lack of a unified stance by government officials undermines the efforts the government is making to end FGM.