Death of young woman after FGM revives calls for a ban in Sierra Leone

The death of a young woman in Sierra Leone nearly immediately after undergoing female genital mutilation has raised outrage and reignited calls for the practice to be abolished.

Maseray Sei, 21, was found dead on the 20th of December in Nyandeni village, Bonthe district, southern Sierra Leone, a day after the FGM. According to campaigners working on the issue, Sei’s family said that after the treatment, Sei suffered from migraine and was in discomfort. Complications from FGM is suspected to be the cause.

The family is now demanding a postmortem examination. Sei’s body was discovered in a “Bondo bush,” the enclosure of a house belonging to the centuries-old secret women’s Bondo society, which is popular in Sierra Leone’s mostly rural areas, where FGM takes place.

According to Unicef, nine out of ten women and girls aged 15 to 49 in Sierra Leone are subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). Despite limits on secret societies since the 2014 Ebola outbreak, notably on their initiation ceremonies, which sometimes include FGM, the practice is still legal in Sierra Leone, with officials accused of endorsing FGM and sponsoring Bondo houses.

Rugiatu Turay, an activist and former deputy minister for gender in Sierra Leone, said, “It’s a tragic case and, in a way, shows how many more people like her have died or are suffering because the majority of cases are unreported.”

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Senesie Amara, an activist working with Sei’s family, said relatives reported she was in good health the day before the FGM.

“She went to fetch wood and water for her aunt, she was physically fine on 18 December. That night she slept at the Bondo house, and that was when things got bad,” Amara said.

After Sei’s death, videos on social media showing political figures in Sierra Leone promising to protect FGM practices have been condemned by activists.

The gender equality charity, Equality Now, said last week: “We strongly condemn the actions of politicians supporting FGM and urge the government to prosecute all offenders putting women and girls at risk.”