Monrovia, Jan. 28 -- The Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) has renewed urgent calls for the Liberian National Legislature to fast-track the passage of the Women and Girls Protection Act, a landmark bill aimed at criminalizing female genital mutilation (FGM) and other harmful practices, as the country grapples with political resistance and deep-rooted cultural divisions.

The appeal was delivered by Cllr. Bowoulo Taylor Kelley, Vice President of AFELL, during the third convening of the Clooney Foundation for Justice's "Waging Justice for Women" Fellowship, held in Ghana.

Speaking as a panelist on "Strategic Litigation in Practice: Female Genital Mutilation," Cllr. Kelley described the bill as a long-overdue shift from symbo...