By Ragan M. Conteh

The Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP) on Wednesday, 24th September 2025, engaged Traditional Chiefs, Teachers, and Journalists/Bloggers as part of the “Men End FGM” movement in Sierra Leone. The event, hosted at Buxton Church Conference Hall on Charles Street and funded by Irish Aid, focused on how social media can amplify the voices of survivors and drive national momentum to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The engagement is part of a wider campaign to galvanize stakeholder’s community leaders, educators, and influencers to join the movement to abandon FGM, a practice that continues to endanger the lives of women and girls across Sierra Leone.

In his presentation on gender, legal, and religious perspectives, FAHP National Coordinator Ishmael Cole outlined the different types of FGM and their devastating impact.

“We are human beings. We make traditions, so we should also have the right to change those traditions that are harmful to the life and health of our people especially women and girls,” he said.

Cole stressed that FAHP and its partners are working to remind the government of Sierra Leone of its international commitments, including CEDAW, CRC, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Maputo Protocol all of which call for an end to FGM.

The recent ruling by the ECOWAS Court of Justice declaring FGM a violation of human rights has added new urgency to this fight. The judgment makes it clear: no cultural justification can excuse the physical and psychological violence inflicted on women and girls. Campaigners are urging President Julius Maada Bio and Parliament to align Sierra Leone’s laws with this ruling by enacting a total ban on FGM. To ignore this moment would be to deny girls the protection they are entitled to under both regional and international law.

Participants at the training heard about the serious health, social, and economic consequences of FGM. The practice causes immediate risks such as severe bleeding, infections, and even death. Survivors often endure lifelong complications including chronic pain, painful menstruation, and difficulty in childbirth, infertility and loss of sexual function. Beyond the physical harm, survivors carry deep psychological trauma that affects their education, relationships, and opportunities.

Cole emphasized that “FGM is no respecter of age the older the person, the more dangerous the procedure becomes.” He urged teachers, chiefs, and bloggers to replicate the training in their schools and communities, using their platforms to challenge harmful beliefs and to serve as FGM champions.

Supporting Survivors and Ending Violence in the Name of Culture

The training included group sessions where participants shared religious perspectives, cultural beliefs, and most importantly, the personal stories of survivors. These testimonies highlighted why supporting survivors is crucial not only to heal from trauma but to empower them as advocates for change.

FAHP made clear that preserving the cultural identity of the Bondo society does not require the continuation of FGM. The beauty of Bondo can live on without violence. What must end is the political and social support for a practice that mutilates girls’ bodies and robs them of their dignity.

As FAHP stressed, politicians must stop promoting violence wrapped in culture. FGM is violence plain and simple. To continue to fund, endorse or remain silent on it is to condone harm against the very daughters the nation is meant to protect. The responsibility now lies with Sierra Leone’s leaders to act decisively: ban FGM, enforce the law, support survivors, and create a culture that values the health, rights, and futures of all girls.