Global Roundup: Sierra Leone FGM, Mumbai Pride March, Indonesia Women in Politics, Canada LGBTQ+ Rights, Ghana Women Surfers
Global Roundup: Sierra Leone FGM, Mumbai Pride March, Indonesia Women in Politics, Canada LGBTQ+ Rights, Ghana Women Surfers
Curated by FG Contributor Samiha Hossain
Photograph: Saidu Bah/AFP/Getty Images
Police in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who were subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports.
Despite calls from activists and human rights advocates for the practice to be criminalised – including from the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls – it remains legal in Sierra Leone. A national survey in 2019 found that 83% of women had undergone FGM, a slight drop from 90% in 2013. The procedure is part of a traditional initiation ritual that marks a girl’s entry into womanhood. It is carried out by soweis, senior members of the all-women Bondo secret societies.
Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP), an organisation working to end FGM in Sierra Leone, is lobbying for a law that would criminalise FGM, and is working to promote alternative rite-of-passage ceremonies that forgo the practice. Last year, the organisation piloted FGM-free initiation ceremonies in three districts, and it hopes to extend the trial to two more this year.
There are many positive aspect of the Bondo societies. They teach girls about medicinal properties of plants and pass down the history of our culture. Our slogan is, ‘Say yes to Bondo, no to cutting.’ -Aminata Koroma, executive secretary of FAHP
In 2021, Maseray Sei, 21, from Bonthe district in southern Sierra Leone died from complications after undergoing FGM. A practitioner was charged with manslaughter but the case was dismissed due to an error in a medical report on Sei’s death.
It is completely unacceptable that despite women and girls continuing to die from FGM in Sierra Leone, there remains complete apathy from the government and an unwillingness to take desperately needed action to prevent these deaths or prohibit the practice. -Divya Srinivasan, Equality Now
February 6 is the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.
The Pride March returned to the city after a four-year-long hiatus. (Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA Images/LightRocket/via Getty Images)
The Mumbai Pride March returned to the city last weekend after a four-year-long hiatus. A crowd of people marched through the streets of Gamdevi in South Mumbai to raise awareness of queer rights in India.
The aim of the events is to increase the visibility of the community to spark awareness and discussion and to foster safe spaces for the community. When onlookers see fun events taking place in public spaces…and see our rainbow flags, they join in and also strike up a conversation. -Sudhanshu Latad, advocacy manager for the Humsafar trust
In October 2023, India’s Supreme Court declined the legalisation of same-sex marriage after a lengthy campaign, and public support, for a change in law. The five-judge bench at the country’s top court, which included the chief justice of India, was divided over the decision and the bench wrote four separate judgments. In the end, the judges issued a 2-3 decision and refused to recognise same-sex marriage, stating it was for the legislature to carry out, rather than the courts.
However, the bench did emphasise the rights of the LGBTQ community to be free of prejudice and discrimination. Other directions issued by the court to the government included: ensuring that the queer community is not discriminated against, to sensitise the public to queer rights, to create safe houses and a hotline for members of the queer community, and to recognise a citizen’s right to enter into a union with their life partner. The LGBTQ community in India continue their fight to have same-sex marriages legally recognized.
Lingga Permesti, left, a legislative candidate for Indonesia's Islamic Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), presents a calendar to a resident during house visitations ahead of the election in Klaten, Central Java, Jan. 18, 2024.
Indonesia's election lineup this month will be dominated by men, but a number of women are trying to break into a political scene long overshadowed by patriarchal elites. More than 200 million people are eligible to vote in the February 14 election, with slightly more than half of them women, according to the country's election commission, yet only a handful of women represent them in parliament.
We have a lot of dedicated and capable female politicians, but there are still many who consider women weak and lacking leadership qualities. That is the reality, especially in (rural) regions. -Lingga Permesti, legislative candidate
In this month's vote, all 18 political parties contesting 580 lawmaker seats have collectively met a mandated nationwide quota of 30% women contenders, according to the election commission's final list. Despite the recent strides, women's representation is still not being taken seriously in Indonesia, according to experts. Some women candidates say they are being treated like they are extraneous.
During one of my campaigns, a male district head told the people there that I was just a supplementary candidate. That I was in the contest just to help my party to meet the representation quota. -Lingga Permesti
In the country's first two presidential debates, the three men battling for top office did not once mention reproductive healthcare or equal opportunities. And only one party has met the quota for women candidates for the nationwide legislative elections in each of the country's 84 electoral districts, according to Koalisi Masyarakat Peduli Keterwakilan Perempuan, a civil society group focusing on women's representation. Anindya Shabrina, a 28-year-old legislative candidate for the Labour Party, said she once declined to join another major party because of condescending attitudes from male politicians. She hopes all parties will be more accommodating towards women in politics and calls for political education for women so their careers can begin at the grassroots level.
Hundreds of Edmontonians take part in a trans youth support rally in Wilbert McIntyre Park, 8331 104 St., Saturday Feb. 3, 2024. PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM /Postmedia
Hundreds rallied in Canada last weekend in opposition to the Alberta provincial government’s proposed series of new policies regarding children and LGBTQ+ rights. The forthcoming changes, revealed by Premier Danielle Smith in a seven-minute video posted to social media, include bans on gender reassignment surgery for those aged under 17, on hormone therapy for children aged 15 and under, and also introduced plans to explore limits on sports participation for transgender athletes.
The crowd gathered in the city of Edmonton while touting signs and chanting slogans calling on the premier to reverse her plans. Rally organizer Rowan Morris, a 23-year-old transgender person, said the changes put others like him at risk.
If Smith truly cared about trans youth she would not make it illegal to support them. We’re terrified because we’re watching the next generation of our community lose the ability to grow up as themselves. -Rowan Morris
The proposed policy changes also require parental notification and consent for a school to alter the name or pronouns of a child aged 15 and under, while notification is required for 16- or 17-year-olds. Morris said his parents disowned him when he came out as transgender and described having to use pronouns different than those used at home as “a survival skill.”
Lots of kids don’t have a safe space at home. It’s really important that they can have a safe space and at school, (for) lots of kids, that is their safe space, And, if their parents don’t support that, then they want to tell their teachers and they are not going to have the ability to do that anymore. It’s not right. -Vinny Shaw, 13, who attended the rally
Rally attendees feared the plans announced were the first step towards even more restrictive policies as seen in many American states. Jamie Baillie, a trans person, said she watched Smith’s video in disbelief
She’s not going to stop with just one bill. This is just the tip of it right now, and we have to stop it. -Jamie Baillie
Photo by BEN LALANDE
Women and girls in Ghana are defying gender norms by surfing. Vanessa Turkson recalls how her mother used to beat her with a pan for going surfing. One of her friends adds how her own parents would inspect her feet for grains of sand, ready to punish her if they discovered any.
It wasn't without reason. The Gulf of Guinea swirls with dangerous currents off Ghana's coast and, until 20 years ago, swimming skills were scarce, external in the town. Every few months another body would wash up on the beach. Parents feared for their daughters with reason, but also with discrimination. While they have prevented their girls from enjoying the beach, their boys have learned to harness the local waves, with Busua becoming one of several surf hotspots in Ghana.
Justice Kwofie is at the heart of Busua's scene, running a surf school alongside his six brothers. Five years ago Kwofie and his brothers started a programme called Black Girls Surf to teach female surfers to first swim and then catch waves. Turkson was one of those to win her parents round and sign up.
Then, whenever I am standing on a board, it makes me feel like I am flying. It makes me comfortable, like I am not stressing. Everyone can do surfing; it is like dancing. Surfing has taught me that in the olden days they say that girls cannot surf, only boys. Now I know that whatever a man can do, a woman can do better! -Vanessa Turkson
Kwofie says the teenage pregnancy rate in Busua has declined since Obibini club – Ghana's only female surf club – was set up to give young women a place to play, learn and socialise.
The club is part of a scene that has sprung up after decades of lying dormant in some areas of Africa.
Sandy Alibo is the founder of Surf Ghana, an organisation which uses action sports to empower and educate young people and supports the building of a sustainable surfing infrastructure. However beautifully Busua's story is told, she says Ghana's surf scene depends on its ability to generate income as many families are struggling.
Life is really difficult. People can earn 400-500 cedis (£26-£32) a month. The priority of every parent is to take care of their daughter and make sure they get married to someone who can look after them, and maybe even the family. Surfing is not a priority – it is still a luxury. Leisure time is not even part of the plan…-Sandy Alibo
Samiha Hossain (she/her) is an aspiring urban planner studying at Toronto Metropolitan University. Throughout the years, she has worked in nonprofits with survivors of sexual violence and youth. Samiha firmly believes in the power of connecting with people and listening to their stories to create solidarity and heal as a community. She loves learning about the diverse forms of feminist resistance around the world.