In a historic move, the Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP) and the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) have initiated two groundbreaking legal cases aimed at putting an end to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in Sierra Leone.
The cases, focusing on a 34-year-old woman from Kenema who was forcibly cut in 2016, aim to address the violation of dignity and autonomy endured by thousands of women and girls subjected to this harmful practice.
Sierra Leone currently ranks among the highest in the world for FGM/C prevalence, affecting over 83 percent of women aged 15 to 49 years old.
One of the significant challenges in combating FGM/C in the country is the absence of specific laws criminalizing the practice.
The FAHP and IHRDA’s legal actions seek to hold individual perpetrators accountable and shed light on the government’s failure to protect its citizens from harm. They emphasize the need for legal reform and concrete action to uphold international treaties, such as the Maputo Protocol, which recognizes FGM/C as a violation of human rights.
Leading the fight against these unlawful practices is Yasmin Jusu Sheriff, a Human Rights Lawyer, who calls for these acts of violence to be recognized as crimes against the state and addressed accordingly by the justice system.
Aminata Koroma, Executive Secretary of FAHP and a survivor of FGM/C herself, strongly advocates for an end to violence against women and girls, asserting that there is no justification for such acts.
Nicky Spencer-Coker, Senior Legal Advisor of Purposeful, lends support to strategic litigation in the fight against FGM/C.
These pivotal cases are expected to serve as an inspiration to other countries in the sub-region and across Africa in the global fight against FGM/C.
Furthermore, they are anticipated to set a precedent for jurisprudence concerning FGM/C and women/girls’ rights on the continent.
Established in 2014, the FAHP is a coalition of national and international organizations committed to ending FGM/C in Sierra Leone. The IHRDA, based in The Gambia, is a Pan-African non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting human rights in Africa.
This movement calls on individuals supporting a safe world for women and girls to join in this journey to justice.
The fight to end FGM/C in Sierra Leone gains momentum, and these landmark cases offer hope for change for millions of girls worldwide.
It is a very good plan up as the female genital mutilation has caused a lot of damage to plenty women in Sierra Leone leading some to death most especially children under the age of 18. If the government could make it a law it would be abolished. By so doing a lot of lives would be saved.