– After Mass Sande Graduation in Lofa County
MONROVIA, Liberia — Rights advocates across Liberia are mobilizing around an alleged mass female genital mutilation incident in Lofa County, transforming what they call a preventable tragedy into a coordinated push for the most comprehensive anti-FGM reforms the country has ever considered.
The Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI) and a coalition of civil society organizations are leveraging the Aug. 8 incident involving an estimated 500 girls to demand not just punishment for violators, but a complete overhaul of how Liberia approaches the practice that has persisted despite a national moratorium.
“We refuse to let this moment pass with just administrative suspensions and empty condemnations,” said PAYOWI in a statement that has become a rallying cry for the movement. “This is our opportunity to build the protection system these girls needed but never had.”
The incident has created what activists describe as a rare convergence of public outrage, government attention, and international scrutiny that will finally break through years of legislative gridlock on comprehensive anti-FGM legislation.
Rights groups, which have long struggled to gain traction on the issue in a country where traditional practices hold deep cultural significance, see the scale of the alleged incident as a watershed moment that demands systemic change rather than piecemeal responses.
“Five hundred girls in one day shows this isn’t about isolated bad actors,” explained a coordinator with the Liberia Feminists Coalition who requested anonymity due to security concerns. “This is about a system that fails to protect children, and we need system-wide solutions.”
The reform agenda being advanced by rights groups extends far beyond simply outlawing FGM. Their demands include establishing rapid-response prevention teams, creating safe houses and hotlines in high-risk counties, mandating training for traditional leaders, and implementing community-based protection programs.
The organizations are calling for what they term a “prevention-first approach” that will shift resources from investigating violations after they occur to stopping them before they happen.
“We know which communities practice FGM, we know when ceremonies typically occur, we know which girls are at risk,” said one advocate. “The question is whether we have the political will to act on that knowledge.”
Rights groups are strategically timing their campaign to coincide with the government’s response to the Lofa County incident. By framing their demands as essential follow-up to the suspension of traditional chiefs, they maintain pressure on officials who might otherwise treat the incident as a one-off enforcement issue.
The Liberia Feminists Coalition has begun organizing what it calls “accountability sessions” with legislators, demanding specific timelines for comprehensive anti-FGM legislation and threatening to make the issue a campaign topic in upcoming elections.
“Politicians love to condemn FGM in their speeches,” noted one coalition member. “Now we’re asking them to put their votes where their mouths are.”
The reform campaign is simultaneously pressuring different branches of government and traditional institutions, recognizing that effective change requires coordination across multiple systems.
For the Legislature, advocates are demanding passage of comprehensive anti-FGM legislation with clear criminal penalties and funding for prevention programs. They have identified specific lawmakers in key districts and are mobilizing constituents to pressure them directly.
The Executive branch faces demands for immediate survivor support services and the establishment of specialized units within relevant ministries to coordinate anti-FGM efforts. Rights groups are calling for dedicated budget lines and personnel assignments, not just policy statements.
The National Traditional Council, which has historically resisted interference in customary practices, is being pressured to adopt enforceable sanctions against members who violate the FGM moratorium.
Advocacy groups are also working to amplify international pressure on the Liberian government. Several organizations have reached out to diplomatic missions and international development partners, framing FGM prevention as essential to Liberia’s human rights commitments and development goals.
“The international community invested heavily in Liberia’s post-conflict recovery,” noted one rights advocate. “They have a stake in ensuring that recovery includes protecting girls from violence.”
Some groups are preparing shadow reports for international human rights bodies, using the Lofa County incident as evidence of systematic failures in protecting children’s rights.
Beyond high-level advocacy, rights groups are organizing community-level campaigns designed to shift cultural attitudes toward FGM. These efforts include working with religious leaders, engaging male allies, and supporting survivors who are willing to speak publicly about their experiences.
The strategy recognizes that legal reforms alone won’t end FGM if communities continue to view the practice as essential to their cultural identity.
“Laws matter, but so do hearts and minds,” explained a community organizer in Montserrado County. “We need both approaches working together.”
Central to the reform agenda is ensuring that the 500 girls allegedly affected by the Lofa County incident receive comprehensive support services. Rights groups are demanding immediate medical care, psychological counseling, and educational assistance for every girl involved.
They’re also calling for longer-term support systems, including scholarships, vocational training, and economic empowerment programs that can help survivors build independent lives despite the trauma they’ve experienced.
“These girls must be more than symbols or statistics,” PAYOWI stated. “They deserve to be the first beneficiaries of the protection system we’re fighting to build.”
Rights advocates acknowledge that their ambitious agenda faces significant obstacles, including cultural resistance, limited government resources, and competing political priorities. But they argue that the scale of the Lofa County incident creates an opening that may not come again.
They’ve identified specific benchmarks for measuring progress: passage of comprehensive anti-FGM legislation within six months, establishment of prevention programs in high-risk counties within one year, and demonstrable reductions in FGM incidents within two years.
“We’re not asking for the impossible,” said one coalition leader. “We’re asking for what every girl in Liberia deserves: the right to grow up without fear of being cut.”
As government officials continue responding to the immediate crisis in Lofa County, rights groups are working to ensure that the broader conversation doesn’t fade once media attention moves elsewhere.
Their success or failure in translating this moment into lasting reform may determine whether future incidents like the one in Konia become increasingly rare exceptions or continue as tragic reminders of a protection system that fails when it matters most.
For the advocates, the choice is clear: use this crisis to build something better, or watch it become just another entry in a long list of preventable tragedies.
