Community Radio shares: ‘Men are leaving their wife's due to FGM’, Liberia

By Deddeh Kanmoh,

Team Save our Women and Girls comprises an activist as the team lead, a journalist, and a religious leader aiming at raising massive awareness on ending FGM.

2 Community Radio Shows to End FGM

As part of efforts to end FGM, we as a team with support from our partners (GMC) and (UNFPA) hosted two live radio talk shows to increase awareness by reaching thousands of people on our community radio stations which is Radio Kintoma 101.1 MHz that is owned and operated by the community.

First Radio Talk-Show @ Radio Kintoma temporary broadcast studio

The first radio talk- show that we hosted was on August 6, 2022, with team lead Deddeh Kanmoh of the National Rural Women, Bro Edwin Darwolo of the Teachers Association, Mr. Mohammed Sesay of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, and Iman Alhaij A.M Kabbah of the Muslim community as well as Journalist Tokpa Tarnue as host at Radio Kintoma.

Deddeh Kanmoh (Team Lead) Iman Alhaij A.M Kabbah (Muslim community), Edwin Darwolo (Teacher) Mohammed Sesay (Human Rights Coordinator)

2nd Radio-Show:

The second radio talk show was also held at Radio Kintoma 101.1 MHz temporary broadcast studio on September 3, 2022, and brought together Deddeh Kanmoh as usual as teal lead, Mrs. Korto Welay of the Group of 72nd (Disable) College, Mrs. Alberta Kessellie a female journalist and Madam Sonnie Moryan of the Lofa Concern Women.

Deddeh Kanmoh (Team Lead) Sonnie Moryan (Lofa Concern Women), Mrs. Alberta Kessellie (Female Journalist) Mrs. Korto Welay (Group of 72nd Disabled)

Discussion:

For this summer like other past activities, the discussions with our studio guests were all about the general effects and health implications of FGM and also ways to end the harmful practice (FGM) and how we all can promote formal education for our girl’s children and end the slavery against them.

These campaigners and actives from various sectors of our society during this summer’s GMC campaign activities were indeed up to the task as we expected to collectively put an end to FGM.

During their various presentations, they outlined named men walking out of some relationships after discovering that the partner went through FGM, the inability of some of the survivals to get pregnant, health complications during delivery, and profuse bleeding among others as some of the after math of FGM and do all believed that ending FGM is not one person’s business but rather a collective fight involving all.

OUR FUTURE PLANS:

Production & airing of anti-FGM radio messages
Jingles
dramas
Conducting more sections with communities & also stakeholder engagements
More awareness in rural communities (Villages/towns)
punishment for violators
Provide some Alternative livelihood programs for cutters/Zoe’s
Organize some sporting anti-FGM competitions with schools
conduct more advanced training on FGM for campaigners/activists @ both local & International

In conclusion, we want to highly appreciate the GMC team and the UNFPA, and all of the other partners in this fight for all the support to our team.

Together, we can achieve more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!