Liberia’s New Generation Divided Over Proposal to Abolish Female Genital Mutilation
A proposed bill seeks to permanently criminalize the procedure, which affects three out of ten women. Until now, the practice has only been restricted through temporary moratoriums.
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Martha, a pseudonym, recently turned 18. She is sitting in her bright green room in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, where she was born and raised. She speaks with her legs crossed on the chair, turning now and then, watchful that no one enters through the door behind her. When interrupted, she falls silent, gesturing to wait. She wants to ensure no one overhears her speaking against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a practice that is still legal and widely performed in her country—affecting three in ten women overall, and up to eight in ten in certain northern regions.
Martha loves to study and does well in school. She is passionate about African and foreign literature and is fascinated by chemistry. She belongs to the minority of young Liberian women who can even plan their university studies, in a country where fewer than half of girls obtain a middle school diploma. Yet, Martha knows almost nothing about FGM, but the little she does know is enough, she says, to support the bill that President Joseph Boakai submitted to Parliament at the end of October to criminalize it. On November 18, the House of Representatives announced a vote to send the draft to the country’s electoral districts “to allow citizens to voice their opinions.” Until now, the country had only banned FGM for minors through decrees or temporary moratoriums; the most recent of these lasted three years and expired this past February.
This article was originally published in EL PAÍS, on December 18, 2025.
Martha recounts that one memory from her childhood is etched in her mind: “I was 11, and my history teacher talked to us about female circumcision. She said it’s important for becoming good wives, that it induces obedience, and even makes the skin more beautiful.” Doubt immediately crossed her mind: the mere thought of being cut horrified her. “Neither my sister nor I were circumcised. I don’t know why; my mother and I never spoke about it. But I am grateful to her,” she says with a relieved smile.
Martha began trying to talk with family members and researching online after Wokie Dolo, a 33-year-old Liberian activist, visited her school. “At the end of the session, as we left the classroom, she hinted that female circumcision wasn't as good as we had always been told. Then she invited us to follow her Facebook page,” she recounts. “Many support her. I think she is good at what she does: she is young, articulate, informed, and courageous.” She says that thanks to Dolo’s content, she now knows more and is eager to keep learning.
« My history teacher told us about female circumcision. She said it's important for being good wives, that it encourages obedience, and that it makes the skin even more beautiful. »
Wokie Dolo is a gender advisor to the Speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives and has emerged as a leading voice in the fight against FGM. For nearly two years, she has been sharing information and the stories of survivors on her social media platforms. “I was crowned Miss Liberia a few years ago. That helped my content reach a wider audience,” she explains. But her popularity skyrocketed last month when she publicly backed President Boakai’s proposal to outlaw the practice entirely. “It’s time to move beyond mere awareness and take bold legislative action,” she wrote in a post that sparked hundreds of comments—many of them critical and including harsh personal attacks, primarily from men.
“The bill is a step forward, but more education is needed,” Dolo says. Like Martha, she also began researching FGM out of personal curiosity. “Many of the women in my family underwent the practice as children. In our county, Nimba [in the north of the country], it is extremely widespread.”
Between 2019 and 2020, the World Bank conducted a survey that, for the first time, sought to collect data on the practice in Liberia through the direct testimony of 8,065 women. According to the report, in the rural northern regions, including Dolo’s native area, 52 percent of women aged 15 to 49 have undergone FGM in Liberia, with the northwestern region reaching an average peak of nearly 70 percent. In more urbanized areas, like the one where Martha lives, the prevalence drops to 30 percent.
Throughout his travels across the country, Dolo’s questions were usually met with silence or intimidation, a result of the deep-seated secrecy surrounding these initiation rites. On some occasions, however, she did manage to collect testimonies from survivors: “The effects become evident in adulthood. They spoke to me of chronic pain during intercourse, menstrual complications, a lack of sexual pleasure, postpartum hemorrhages, and depression.” FGM is recognized by the United Nations as a serious violation of human rights and the health of girls and women, with more than 230 million women worldwide having undergone the procedure to date.
Dolo notes that although the prevalence of FGM has decreased compared to the past, it remains high. The World Bank report confirms this trend: the rate among Liberian women dropped from an average of 56 percent in the 40–49 age group to 27 percent among those aged 15 to 24. Furthermore, according to the same report, six out of ten women in Liberia who are aware of the practice believe it should be abolished.
Six in ten Liberian women aware of the practice say it should be abolished.
“In the schools I have visited, I have met many young Liberian women and men who support my fight for awareness and the rejection of harmful traditions. Many write to me sharing their stories, thanking me because they feel less alone in their pain,” Dolo adds.
Despite a growing current of dissent among some youth, the new Liberian generation remains divided today over the abolition of the practice. “Many of them, including women, continue to say they favor its continuation simply because that is what they were taught, but they cannot even explain why when you ask them,” she says. “Divisions exist among the youth as well because progress is slow: there is a lack of awareness, resources, and sexual education in schools. This is especially true in northern rural areas, where the influence of traditional leaders promoting the practice—and the presence of women who earn a living performing the cutting—remains very strong.” For this reason, Dolo finds educating for the truth and pushing for change difficult. And in the last month, it has become even more so.
« Many of them, including women, continue to say they favor its continuation simply because that is what they were taught, but they cannot even explain why when you ask them. »
After publicly supporting the bill to ban FGM, Dolo received such a wave of attacks that she decided to deactivate her Facebook account. “They told me I’m promoting Western propaganda and betraying our traditions. But this isn’t about propaganda; it’s about rights. I’ll keep fighting, but things have become much harder,” she admits. She explains that many schools are now hesitant to let her speak to students, fearing the controversy she might stir. “At church the other day, a woman came up to me yelling that I should be ashamed of myself. Even my neighbor won’t let her young daughter visit me anymore,” she says. “I’m worried about my mother, as she’s being targeted too. But I don’t regret anything. This is just what happens to those who try to change things.”
Obstacle Course
After years of pressure from international and local organizations, President Boakai announced this September, during the United Nations General Assembly, his intention to ban harmful practices against women in Liberia, including female genital mutilation. The following month, he submitted the bill to Parliament. For supporters of the proposal, this move is a historic milestone.
Until now, FGM in Liberia has only been temporarily restricted on three occasions. In 2012, the government announced measures following a series of reports by journalist Mae Azango of FrontPage Africa, Liberia’s leading newspaper. In 2018, just days before the end of her term, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf signed an executive order that expired after a year and was never renewed under the George Weah administration. In 2022, a three-year temporary moratorium was approved, which expired this past February.
Dounard Bondo, a Liberian lawyer and journalist, wrote an article for Al Jazeera in April regarding the urgent need to criminalize the practice once and for all and to establish a robust system for reporting and witness protection. “This is a step forward from the past,” he stated in a telephone interview.
According to Bondo, sending the bill to the districts is a double-edged sword. “Traditional leaders have a strong hold on the communities, and this is a risk,” he warns. “But if the government considers the law a priority, they can find common ground.” He believes, however, that initiatives must be implemented to raise awareness about abandoning harmful practices if the problem is to be addressed at its root.
Dolo, for her part, fears that sending the bill for consultation is merely a political tactic. Many legislators represent rural areas, and openly supporting this law would mean losing votes in those regions. Similarly, according to Liberian lawyer Mmonbeydo Joah, it is a maneuver to indefinitely stall the bill. For now, it remains to be seen what will become of Boakai's proposal in the hands of a polarized country.