By Ragan M Conteh

The Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP) on Wednesday 21st February 2024 held a press conference on the deaths of the three underage girls in Kambia district.

According to Madam Rugiatu Neneh Koroma, they got a piece of intelligence that a total of eleven (11) children were still being held hostage in a bondo shrine.

According to FAHP ‘s  Chairperson, Madam Rugiatu Neneh Koroma, she said they are deeply saddened and gravely concerned over the deaths of three girls after they had been subjected to female genital cutting in both Kambia and Port Loko districts.

The coalition, Madam Rugiatu Neneh Koroma, said reliable information revealed that Salaymatu Jalloh met her untimely death after she was being subjected to Bondo FGM in Tonko Limba chiefdom, in Kambia District in January, 2024.

She said, Salaymatu Jalloh, a 13- year-old girl was initiated into the bondo society at Kabylor Village in the Tonko Limba Chiefdom.

FAHP disclosed that the matter was reported to the Sierra Leone Police at Madina Police Station on Tuesday 2nd January, 2024.

Koroma pointed out that the main suspect in the matter, the Initiator (Sowei), Barlay Turay is in custody with two others helping the investigation.

The chairperson revealed that upon further investigation on the death of Salaymatu Jalloh at the Madina Police Station, it was discovered that there was another death at Bubuya village of a 17-year-old Kadiatu Bangura who also died as a result of the same FGM procedure.

FAHP was also informed that the buried corpse of Kadiatu Bangura was exhumed and a postmortem was done on both corpses by doctor Samba Jalloh of the Kambia Government Hospital.

In Port Loko district again, Madam Rugiatu Neneh Koroma went on that, it was reported that one Adamsay Sesay, a 12-year-old girl passed away after initiation in the Mankneh village, Tainkatopa Chiefdom.

FAHP said it would also want to draw the attention of the government to the story of a 21-year-old woman from Bonthe district, Sierra Leone, who experienced a  forceful cutting of a part on her genital  in the year 2022 and whose family had been seeking justice for ever since she died.

FAHP said she was one of thousands of women and girls in Sierra Leone whose dignity and bodily autonomy has been violated through the practice of FGM.

“As a result of these many loss of lives, FAHP calls on the government to suspend all Bondo Society initiations countrywide.”

“We also call on the Human Right Commission, the National Council of Paramount Chiefs and Soweis Council to speak out on the negative effects of the practice.

“We are also asking the government and our partners and relevant ministries to call for an investigation into the death of these girls. We would like to remind the government that one life lost is a loss to humanity,” she said.

She pointed out that the health complications and the inevitable consequences of FGM are the same regardless of the age of a woman or girl. FAHP is again calling for the total abandonment of this harmful practice.

“We are also calling on the government and all stakeholders to use these unfortunate incidences to shift their stances from ‘age of consent’ to total abandonment and place a ban on FGM; uphold the Bondo heritage and say No to FGM by promoting the Alternative Rite of Passage (Bloodless Rite),” she asserted.

As a coalition, they expressed their deepest condolences to the bereaved families of the girls who lost their lives as a result of the unfortunate incidences.

The Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP) is a coalition of national and international organizations working towards ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Sierra Leone.

It was established in 2014 to respond to the increasing need for collaborative work among organizations working towards the reduction and ultimate eradication of Harmful Practices against women.

These practices include but are not limited to child forced marriage and FAHP has a membership of 26 organizations across the geographical locations of Sierra Leone.