Target: Abass Bundu, Speaker of Sierra Leone Parliament
Goal: Support ban on female genital mutilation that causes undue physical and psychological harm.
A 21-year-old mother of two young children died suddenly in Sierra Leone. She is believed to have succumbed from injuries sustained in the long-standing and fiercely criticized ritual of female genital mutilation (FGM). This tragedy has renewed calls for a ban on the highly controversial procedure, which still remains legal in the nation.
FGM involves the cutting (and often the removal) of external genitalia on females. The practice is often justified as a means of warding off evil and preventing so-called impure sexual activity. While it has been restricted in much of the world, Sierra Leone still has a very high rate with nearly 90 percent of women undergoing the procedure at some time during their lives. These women are often pressured by family or societal expectations, and sometimes FGM is even performed on newborns who have no choice.
As the latest tragic case demonstrates, FGM comes with numerous potential health and sexual complications, especially for younger people. The rituals are often performed by unsanctioned groups known as Bondo societies within Sierra Leone. Aside from the clear physical dangers, FGM can also take a massive toll psychologically, leading to depression, feelings of anxiousness and shame, and even post-traumatic stress disorder.
Sign the petition below to urge country leaders to end this harmful relic of gender inequality.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Bundu,
The banning of secret societies indicates leaders have an idea of the damage caused by some of these groups’ most prevalent practices. The death of 21-year-old mother Maseray Sei symbolizes one of the most dangerous practices: female genital mutilation. A society that values its families and its mothers should never implicitly support or condone a procedure that demeans and destroys both.
The physical consequences of FGM range from lifelong sexual impairment to death. The emotional scars often run deeper than the visible ones. Countries around the world have made the decision to stand against this form of gender-based violence. Do not let Sierra Leone become the outlier.
Protect and respect all females. Ban FGM and leave this archaic practice to history.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Dennis Magati
Abass Bundu, you and your men are the evil that needs to be warded off. A pox on you and your male descendants.
Oh, goodness! Legal genital mutilation performed on newborn females! That is shocking! What kind of backward, terrible place would— wait, hang on, it’s legal to do to men everywhere and incredibly common. I mean, it’s still wrong, but I’m going to find a petition to sign that doesn’t pretend the issue is about women.
Bunch of ignorants living in the Stone Age!