Refusing to Undergo Rituals and Traditional Rites

Reports from Kpanga Chiefdom, Pujehun District in the Southern part of Sierra Leone intimated this medium that a Bondo Secret Society have declared Dusu Koroma 34 and her six (6) years old daughter Fatim Fatmata Tejan Koroma wanted dead or alive for deliberately refusing her daughter undergoes rituals and traditional rites tied with the society.

Both Dusu and her daughter are currently in hiding after escaping the wrath of Bondo women whose plans were to get the daughter, Fatima initiated forcefully into the society.

The reported case in Pujehun District is presently a subject of police investigation.

According to reports from Times SL Newspaper’s Southern Correspondent, Dusu and her daughter were victims of this heinous act during their visit to Pujehun from their residence, Lumley in Freetown. They have been living in the capital city of Freetown for over ten years and one day in 2022 Dusu together with her daughter decided to visit her grandmother in Pujehun. Apparently, her grandmother was the head of the Bondo society in Kpanga Chiefdom, Pujehun District.

Her grandmother was always with the idea of Dusu inheriting her place or role in the society, for which Dusu refused.

On the 22nd January, 2022, it is understood that after two to three hours, Dusu did not see her daughter and started to look for her. She was later told by a lady who told her that her daughter had been kidnapped and taken to the Bondo bush.

At that particular moment, Dusu recalled her bitter experience when she was at the same age of her daughter. She, together with her younger sister was forced to join or be initiated into the Bondo society. She was lucky to escaped as a result of serious complication to her younger sister that later died as a result of the initiation process, which raised some attention that left the place totally destroyed by irrates youths.

Dusu rushed to the bush, bulldoz her way in to rescue her daughter. To her surprise, she learnt that her daughter’s abduction was as a result of an instructions of her grandmother who happens to be a leader of the Bondo society.

Bulldozing her way in, Dusu was tied up and was severely beaten. Her daughter suffered physical torture and inhumane treatment.

Fatima was reportedly abducted by influential members of the Bondo Society and subjected to extreme physical abuse and torture within the confines of the society bush.

She later managed to escape with her daughter and since then she has been declared wanted within the township.

Her timely intervention saved her daughter from being initiated.

In an interview with Times SL reporter in Pujehun Town, Dusu’s family claimed that they must go through the initiation otherwise the society will continue to hunt them and bring them back. “Their lives are been threatened and there are fear within the township that Dusu and her daughter will have to face the gods of the land for deliberately refusing to undergo what they strongly believe is part of their customs and tradition,” the reporter said.

“This distressing account not only highlights the grave violation of human rights but also underscores the urgent need for justice and protection for individuals targeted by harmful traditional practices. The brutality inflicted upon Dusu Koroma and her daughter is a stark reminder of the dangers posed by such practices and the importance of safeguarding vulnerable individuals, particularly women and children, from these atrocities,” an eyewitness said.

Civil Society activist, Malicious Koroma, who raised the alarm that prompted our timely intervention, said harmful traditional practices against FGM victims is indeed a concern and distressing matter that warrant urgent attention.

He went on by urging the government, particularly the Ministry of Gender and Children Affairs, police and other line authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding Dusu and her daughter as their whereabout had and continue to be a mistry due to the attempted forceful abduction into the Bondo’s rituals and traditional rites.

“This is pathetic and out of any imagination! How can you forcefully abduct a six year old girl and her mother, tortured and subjected them in to such heinous act? He asked with tears covering his face.

In presenting this compelling narrative to readers, it is crucial to emphasize the severity of the situation and the necessity of raising awareness and taking action to prevent future occurrences of such barbaric acts.

By amplifying the voices of activists like Malicious Koroma and shedding light on the harrowing experiences of victims, like that of Dusu and her daughter, we can inspire collective outrage and mobilize support for efforts to combat harmful traditional practices and promote respect for human rights and dignity.

However, though critical voices have shed lights on the issue, concerns are that quite a good number of girls have died in the course of undergoing Female Genital Mutilation but that most of those cases ended up under the carpet.

Female Gential Mutilation in Sierra Leone is like a taboo and tradition for girls. Despite the robust campaign against it, the practices continues unabated. Government is also afraid of going after Bondo women because they highly rely on their support during the time of elections. In Sierra Leone, the women formed the larger portion of the country’s population. The ratio is like 1 woman to 6 men and this also impact the outcome of elections. Therefore, it is difficult for government to stand in defence of victim hence the reason why most of those who died in the past couldn’t be given justice. Sierra Leone is a signatory to international conventions and treaties and protect the rights of citizens. The country’s 1991 constitution also guarantee the rights of citizen but those rights are been violated without any consideration or consequences for perpetrators. Now that Dusu and her daughter Fatima are faced with death threat, it is likely their safety within Pujehun and beyond will never be guaranteed.

While efforts are being made to get the side of Dusu, Times SL Newspaper recalled a similar incident involving two government ministers who had bitter public argument on issues surrounding FGM. Former Minister of Social Welfare ,Gender and Children’s Affairs Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden had serious tussle with her Deputy Madam Neneh Turay now Koroma over issue of FGM. This became public to the extent that former President Ernest Bai Koroma had no option than relieve both ministers from office. Madam Neneh Who was deputy to Dr. Blyden was against the idea of FGM something Dr.Blyden viewed to be highly political. That issue was never resolved .

This medium will continue to follow and update the general public on happenings surrounding Dusu and her daughter.