MONROVIA, LIBERIA-The government of Liberia, through the Traditional Council of Liberia, has suspended the practice of female genital mutilation, FGM for three years.

 The pronouncement was made recently by the Head of the Traditional Council of Liberia, Chief Zanzan Karwor.

Female Genital Mutilation, FGM is a human right violation that affects both women and girls globally, including Liberia, where the World Bank said the practice is prevalent at a rate of 31-percent in its 2020 estimates.

Despite the suspension of the practice in Liberia, there is no law criminalizing the practice, despite having signed and ratified regional and international human rights instruments condemning the practice as a human rights violation, including the Maputo Protocol.

Also in 2018, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf outlawed the FGM practice for a year by the issuance of an Executive Order Number 92 on Domestic Violence.

According to the Order, performing FGM to girls less than 18 years was prohibited, and violators would be punished.