By Joseph Momoh, Daily Scope Reporter
A 30-year-old mother of four has alleged she was forcibly subjected to female genital mutilation in Moeba Community following a dispute with another woman over a man, and is now in hiding while calling for government and rights groups to intervene.
The woman, identified as Bintu Kamara, not her real name, told Truth Media that members of the Sowei society restrained and cut her against her will in the home of her former boyfriend. She said tensions had persisted for more than a year between herself, the man, and another woman.
According to Bintu, the situation escalated when the man’s other partner and his mother reportedly reported her to local soweis. She claimed she was summoned before a chief of soweis, accused of being a “Gborka,” a term used locally for women who have not undergone FGM, and warned against confronting the other woman. She alleged the incident was orchestrated with the knowledge of the other woman. “I don’t know if it was the man who told them that I had not undergone FGM,” she said, adding that preparations for the procedure were already underway when she arrived.
Bintu said she was held in a room at the residence of the chief sowei, identified as Nadewa, where she was denied food and medical treatment despite feeling unwell after the procedure. She alleged the room was also used to house sheep. She said she escaped after learning of plans to transfer her to a village and is currently in hiding.
The survivor said she lacks family support due to her economic circumstances and is appealing to authorities and civil society organizations for help. She reported the matter to Ross Road Police on 28 May, where her statement was recorded. Police confirmed to Daily Scope that investigations are ongoing.
FGM remains illegal in Sierra Leone under the Child Rights Act and has been the subject of renewed debate in recent years, with activists and government agencies working to end the practice while balancing cultural considerations.
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