Karifa Thoronka
Female Circumcision, which is very dangerous to women’s health, is a process of excision of the clitoris and labia minora with razor by a senior society member called Sowei, who has no medical training but believed to be spiritually powerful.
The 31-year-old Fatmata Binta Bah learned the spirit of resistance for her daughters not to be initiated base on her practical experience during her initiation ceremony. Relating to a girl in Waterloo who experience serious bleeding and died during the process in their time.
As the only girl in her community to have not allow her daughters undergone FGM, Fatmata’s friends and neighbors teased her continuously. Her aunts also became hostile towards her because Fatmata had asked outsiders to get involved in protecting her daughters from joining the society.
Speaking with Fatmata Binta Bah, she disclosed that since she was forcefully initiated into the bondo society she had been complaining of bad dreams, Vaginal and stomach pains whiles having very low sexual urge for her husband, and she does not want the same for her daughters. Noting that Community elders together with the traditionalist have attempted to kidnaped her daughters from her for initiation ceremony. She concluded with tears in her eyes saying that she has undergone lots of harassment and intimidation because of her daughters Mariama Bah, Salimatu Bah and Hawa Bah, so she is leaving the Community to unknown place together with her Daughters.
The situation that Fatmata Bah found herself was really a nightmare, as everyone in the Rokel community and beyond are supporting bondo society including the police are in favor of bondo society.
Since the Soweis and the traditional authorities are still searching for Fatmata and her daughters, their lives are in serious danger.
Successive governments have made little or no effort to change this picture either because the practice is so deeply embedded in the culture of the people or because politicians fear losing the votes of the people if they attempt to ban it.
