Liberian Judge Jails Local Chief Over FGM Practice

A judge in Liberia has jailed a local chief (named Zoe) since Tuesday for failing to produce three young women who were allegedly taken by force, detained, and likely initiated into the Sande Society to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). Liberia does not have a legal mechanism banning female circumcision, although the National Council of Chiefs last year outlawed the practice. Monbeydo Nadine Juah is the attorney representing the Organization for Women and Children and Community Health Care Initiative. It filed a petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus for a judge to compel Chief Zoe Nora Samuel to produce the three young women. She tells VOA’s James Butty, Liberian women should have the freedom to decide whether they want to undergo FGM or not; they should not be abducted.