The campaign against the initiation of children under age (18 and below) into Bondo is positively getting the support of traditional stakeholders with Soweis and traditional heads in the Western Area unanimously supporting the abolishment of under-aged bondo in Freetown.
Soweis, tribal heads and representatives from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Freetown City Council, Family Support Unit and other stakeholders made recommendations for the banning of child bondo in the Western Area on Tuesday at the Council of Churches Sierra Leone.
The Mende Tribal head, Chief Matthew Jibao Young, said bondo is not a bad culture and that looking back at the history of Sierra Leone, one of the most powerful women, Madam Yoko, was famous because of bondo.
“She was not initiating children but matured women who went through training of womanhood, well prepared to face the world,” adding that today children are being taken for initiation and will come out knowing nothing about the purpose of bondo.
“We the Council of Tribal Heads want every sowei to join the sowei council,” he said, noting that that will bring sanity to the process.
He said there are many women on the prowl claiming to be soweis and causing lots of trouble and that many of them are the ones initiating children.
“We must start to expose them and ensure that 18 year-old girls and below are no longer initiated in our communities,” he said.
According to most of the soweis, the reason for the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the country is caused by early initiation of girls before the age of maturity.
Chief Young however implored the soweis that for them to be able to implement their duties successfully they, soweis, and women in Sierra Leone must champion the cause to the fullest.
The president of the sowei council, Koloneh Sesay, implored her colleagues to revive bondo to what it used to be in the days of Madam Yoko, adding that children know nothing to be initiated into bondo.
He said they will all benefit immensely when bondo is practiced as it was and that in those days initiations are carried out with the consent of chiefs.
“There is no respect gained by initiating children into bondo,” he said.
The Social Development officer in the Ministry of Social Welfare, Mariatu Bangura, said Soweis should now be looking at the age of the girl to be initiated before accepting her for the ceremony.
“We are happy as a ministry that soweis are supporting the process of addressing the problem of underage bondo,” she said, and citing the Child Rights Act, Bangura said “Article 19 of the Convention states that State Parties must "take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence.
“You should now refuse children taken to you for initiation,” she said,
However, people contacted in the communities said despite the issues being raised many children are initiated in the provinces in the presence of traditional elders.
“The capacity and willingness must be there to tackle the issue,” Salamatu Kamara, a teacher at the Ansarul Primary school Wellington said, adding that Government should target education institutions, traditional and societal heads and made them commit to the campaign against childhood bondo.
Soweis, tribal heads and representatives from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Freetown City Council, Family Support Unit and other stakeholders made recommendations for the banning of child bondo in the Western Area on Tuesday at the Council of Churches Sierra Leone.
The Mende Tribal head, Chief Matthew Jibao Young, said bondo is not a bad culture and that looking back at the history of Sierra Leone, one of the most powerful women, Madam Yoko, was famous because of bondo.
“She was not initiating children but matured women who went through training of womanhood, well prepared to face the world,” adding that today children are being taken for initiation and will come out knowing nothing about the purpose of bondo.
“We the Council of Tribal Heads want every sowei to join the sowei council,” he said, noting that that will bring sanity to the process.
He said there are many women on the prowl claiming to be soweis and causing lots of trouble and that many of them are the ones initiating children.
“We must start to expose them and ensure that 18 year-old girls and below are no longer initiated in our communities,” he said.
According to most of the soweis, the reason for the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the country is caused by early initiation of girls before the age of maturity.
Chief Young however implored the soweis that for them to be able to implement their duties successfully they, soweis, and women in Sierra Leone must champion the cause to the fullest.
The president of the sowei council, Koloneh Sesay, implored her colleagues to revive bondo to what it used to be in the days of Madam Yoko, adding that children know nothing to be initiated into bondo.
He said they will all benefit immensely when bondo is practiced as it was and that in those days initiations are carried out with the consent of chiefs.
“There is no respect gained by initiating children into bondo,” he said.
The Social Development officer in the Ministry of Social Welfare, Mariatu Bangura, said Soweis should now be looking at the age of the girl to be initiated before accepting her for the ceremony.
“We are happy as a ministry that soweis are supporting the process of addressing the problem of underage bondo,” she said, and citing the Child Rights Act, Bangura said “Article 19 of the Convention states that State Parties must "take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence.
“You should now refuse children taken to you for initiation,” she said,
However, people contacted in the communities said despite the issues being raised many children are initiated in the provinces in the presence of traditional elders.
“The capacity and willingness must be there to tackle the issue,” Salamatu Kamara, a teacher at the Ansarul Primary school Wellington said, adding that Government should target education institutions, traditional and societal heads and made them commit to the campaign against childhood bondo.
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