Chiefs in Sierra Leone District Ban FGM for Girls
On April 16th 2009, IRIN reported that village chiefs and community members in the
The article states that according to the World Health Organization, 94% of Sierra Leonean girls are initiated into "Bondo", also known as a Sande Secret Society, that performs genital cutting as a rite of passage. Girls who have undergone FGM are reported to be more likely to become pregnant at an early age, which is the number one cause of school drop-outs among Sierra Leonean girls.
Activists working in the area, including Amnesty International in Bombali and Amazonian Initiative Movement (AIM), say that by increasing the age to 18, the new agreement gives girls a choice and will ultimately reduce the total number of genital cuttings performed.
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Compiled from: Sierra Leone: Chiefs Ban Genital Cutting for Girls Under 18, IRIN, 16 April 2009.
For More Information
For more information please see the Global Gender Issues section of this website as well as the articles 100-140 Million Girls and Women Worldwide Have Undergone FGM (1/6/2009) and Committee on the Rights of the Child Reports on the Girl Child in Sierra Leone (9/25/2008).
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