Sierra Leone has one of many highest charges of feminine genital mutilation (FGM) in Africa and it might probably generally finish in tragedy. BBC Africa Eye has been listening to from one man who believes his girlfriend died after having her genitalia minimize.
Fatmata Turay was 19 years previous when her mom known as her to come back house to their village.
She was to be initiated into the Bondo society, a centuries-old custom involving music and dancing the place younger ladies are ready for maturity.
Thirty-six hours later, Fatmata was useless.
From the day of her funeral on 18 August 2016, her boyfriend, journalist Tyson Conteh, took out his digicam and began filming.
In a later recording he regarded straight down the barrel of the lens to elucidate why he wished to doc what was occurring.
“I need to use this movie, which is a lot passionate to me, to create a debate. Fatmata doesn’t need to see one other lady, a lady, die. That is her want.”
He mentioned Fatmata had been chatting with him in his desires, and wished him to reveal the reality of her dying and put an finish to the observe of FGM.
FGM entails the partial or complete removing of the exterior feminine genitalia, typically specializing in the clitoris.
The United Nations Inhabitants Fund has documented the observe in 92 nations, however it’s most prevalent in components of Africa and the Center East.
In nations like Somalia, Sudan and Djibouti, a type of FGM known as infibulation is practised the place the labia is eliminated after which used to nearly fully seal the vaginal orifice, leaving a small opening for urine and menstrual blood. When the girl marries, they have to be minimize open earlier than they’ll have intercourse.
There aren’t any well being advantages to FGM. The World Well being Group warns it might probably result in urinary, vaginal and menstrual issues, in addition to issues throughout childbirth and dying.
In Sierra Leone, it’s estimated that 83% of ladies and women aged between 15 and 49 have undergone FGM.
One of many major causes for the process is to tame a ladies’s sexual need. If they’re “minimize”, it’s thought it’s going to defend their virginity and as soon as they’re married, they’ll stay devoted to their husband.
“An uncut girl loves intercourse greater than a minimize girl. That is why we scale back the urge in them,” mentioned Aminata Sankoh, a soweis, the title given to the ladies who carry out the reducing in Sierra Leone.
‘It took me every week to urinate’
Conteh bought uncommon entry to movie the all-female Bondo society, an age-old bedrock of magnificence, artwork and tradition.
It’s a celebration the place the standard position of a spouse and mom is conferred from Bondo elders to younger ladies.
It’s seen as an anticipated and obligatory ceremony of passage.
Nevertheless, a part of the initiation course of is present process FGM. Conteh was not allowed to movie this.
“In our tradition, our individuals have for a very long time been initiated into the society,” mentioned Ngaima Kamara, a number one soweis.
“If you’re not initiated, you may be ashamed of washing with me on the stream. If I move by you, I’ll clean you. If we meet someplace I can inform you I don’t discuss to an uncut girl. Like you’re sick.”
In his documentary, Conteh recounted what occurred to Fatmata simply over a day after attending the Bondo ceremony.
“We met her physique laid on a mat, simply outdoors the home within the ground. And it was wrapped in white,” he mentioned.
“You see the blood popping out. You see like there’s blood and we realised that she had died within the Bondo society after she was mutilated.”
The police arrived and Fatmata’s physique was taken to the mortuary in Makeni.
Her mom and the soweis have been arrested.
Six days later, a autopsy was carried out by Sierra Leone’s solely pathologist at the moment, Dr Simeon Owizz Koroma.
Additionally current was Dr Sylvia Blyden, the then minister for social welfare, gender and kids’s points.
Dr Blyden is a supporter of the fitting of consenting grownup ladies to practise FGM however is strongly towards underage and compelled FGM.
In a public assertion, she launched particulars of the autopsy and mentioned FGM had nothing to do with Fatmata’s dying. The soweis and Fatmata’s mom have been launched.
Conteh investigated the opportunity of whether or not his girlfriend’s dying was lined as much as defend the Bondo society. Dr Blyden maintains she would by no means substitute the reality over the status of the Bondo society.
Rugiatu Turay, no relation to Fatmata Turay, was Dr Blyden’s deputy minister on the time and is a long-time campaigner towards FGM.
She based and runs the Amazonian Initiative Motion, an organisation in Sierra Leone centered on ending FGM.
She mentioned she was fortunate to outlive after she was minimize when she was 11 years previous.
“Lots individuals have died. We all know, everyone knows. We needs to be sincere,’ she mentioned.
“I nearly died. If I wished to pee. It took me every week to have the ability to urinate. One week. Even after initiation ended, my vagina swelled.”
‘Bondo will finish’
Ms Turay questioned why Dr Blyden was current on the autopsy.
“Why do you enable your minister to enter a mortuary to do a autopsy? Even when she is a health care provider, she has no enterprise there.
“She stood with the soweis. That reveals that she already took sides. We consider that the consequence, which we by no means noticed, was modified. We consider that. We can’t cut price the lives of ladies for votes.”
Dr Blyden denied talking publicly about Fatmata’s explanation for dying however stands by her declare that Fatmata didn’t die because of FGM, saying the findings of the autopsy matched Fatmata’s medical historical past.
She mentioned any suggestion of a cover-up was false and malicious and added that the post-mortem was carried out in full view of household, human rights organisations, police and medical personnel.
She argued that it was her responsibility as a minister to attend the post-mortem and denied she was there for any political achieve.
BBC Africa Eye approached Dr Owizz with the allegations within the movie, however he declined to reply.
4 years in the past, Ms Turay arrange the primary Bondo society with out FGM, known as Various Rites or Cold Bondo.
She believes that the Bondo itself might finish if ladies don’t cease practising FGM.
“If ladies or anyone continues to advocate the reducing in Bondo, it’s going to attain a degree when Bondo ends. It would attain a degree the place Bondo will cease.”