In Africa, three girls died after “ritual” genital cutting
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Police in the West African country of Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who were subjected to female genital mutilation.
The parents of the girls and the perpetrators of the terrible “rital” are in custody, writes The Guardian.
Adamsay Sesay, 12, Salamatu Jalloh, 13, and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during a ritual circumcision ceremony last month.
Female circumcision involves the partial or complete removal of the external female genital organs and is considered a violation of the rights of women and girls. In 2012, the United Nations passed a resolution banning the practice, but it still exists in about 30 countries.
| Photo: Yakov_Oskanov/Depositphotos |
According to current data, at least 200 million women and girls have been subjected to female genital mutilation.
Despite calls by activists and human rights defenders to criminalize the practice, it remains legal in Sierra Leone. A national survey in 2019 found that 83% of women had been circumcised, down slightly from 90% in 2013.
The procedure is part of a so-called traditional ritual that “marks a girl’s entry into womanhood.” It is carried out by the so-called owls – senior members of Bondo’s all-female secret societies.
“When we meet the Sovei, they often say that female circumcision is an important source of income for them. Families can spend between $300 and $400 for the entire ceremony, which lasts three weeks“, says Aminata Koroma, Executive Secretary of the Forum Against Harmful Practices.
She adds that people’s perceptions of female circumcision are changing, but “it’s a gradual change.”
In 2021, 21-year-old Maserai Sei from the Bonte district of southern Sierra Leone died of complications from female genital mutilation. The celebrant was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dropped due to an error in the medical certificate of death.
Divya Srinivasan, Head of Harmful Practices Eradication at NGO Equality Now, says:
“It is absolutely unacceptable that while women and girls continue to die from mutilation in Sierra Leone, the government remains completely apathetic and unwilling to take the necessary steps to prevent these deaths or ban the practice.”
We will remind you that earlier we wrote that circumcision is the main cause of death of women in African countries.
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