The Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI) has strongly condemned the recent Sande bush “graduation” of 500 girls in Konia, Lofa County, which reportedly involved Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), in direct defiance of Liberia’s national moratorium on Sande activities.
The ceremony, held on August 8 under the watch of local traditional leaders, has sparked national outrage among rights advocates. Despite the suspension of Paramount Chief James Tarnue and Clan Chief Bigboy Kokulo by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, PAYOWI says the damage is already done.
“Once the cutting is done, no suspension or sanction can undo the harm,” the group said in a blistering statement. “Protection and justice must happen before, not after, the blade falls.”
FGM, a practice with no medical benefit, causes lifelong physical, emotional, and psychological trauma. Victims face severe pain, infections, complications during childbirth, and long-term mental health impacts including PTSD and depression.
“The 500 girls in Konia will carry these scars visible and invisible for the rest of their lives,” said PAYOWI. “No administrative punishment can restore what has been taken.”
While some in the community celebrated the event as a defense of tradition, rights groups including the Liberia Feminist Coalition have called it a gross violation of the girls’ rights and a breach of the national moratorium.
“This incident reveals the fatal gap between policy and protection,” PAYOWI warned, calling for urgent action, including:
A full criminal investigation and prosecution of all responsible
Immediate medical and psychosocial support for survivors
Comprehensive anti-FGM legislation with strict penalties
A robust protection system in high-risk areas, including hotlines, safe houses, and rapid-response teams
PAYOWI also called on the Legislature to pass enforceable laws against FGM, the Executive to prioritize survivor care, and traditional councils to take visible action to end impunity.
“To the girls of Lofa: You did not deserve this. You have the right to heal, to be heard, and to live without fear,” the statement concluded. “PAYOWI stands with you not just in words, but in action.”
