FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 12 December 2025: The Bondo Society, which is considered a rite of passage and a training ground to prepare young girls for adulthood, remains a vital part of Sierra Leone’s cultural heritage. Yet for women and girls, participation has included Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a harmful practice with lasting physical, psychological, and social consequences.

This reality was brought into sharp focus during a side event of the Salone Civic Festival at the Miatta Conference Centre in Freetown. The event, titled “Advancing Gender Equality for Social Norms Change," was co-hosted by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education (MoICE) and UNFPA, creating space for open dialogue on progress made, persistent challenges, and the path forward in ending FGM and other harmful practices.

At the center of the discussion was the testimony of Alberta Beatrice Kargbo, an FGM survivor, who shared her experience with courage.

“I was told about the clothes, the food, and the cultural dances,” she told the audience. “I did not know that cutting was involved.”

She highlighted that the adults in her life actively withheld the truth about the procedure. "They never told me what was actually the right procedure... When we entered that night, I was pampered... but they never told me there was anything like cutting".

"My eyes were tied." Kargbo provided a chilling, step-by-step account of how the festivities transitioned into violence the following morning.

She described being taken into a room built of thatch where she was overpowered by adults. "Two strong women, they tied me up. One of them sat on my belly and I just felt a sharp object piercing me ".

The side event was moderated by Agnes Nonie, Project Officer for the Iceland-funded Accelerating Progress towards the Elimination of FGM in Sierra Leone programme. She noted that FGM cannot be addressed without centeering survivor voices and perspectives, which is why UNFPA is adopting a survivor-led approach to community engagement and advocacy.

Panelist Dr. Judy Kuriansky, a UN Advisor and Psychologist, responded to Kargbo’s testimony with deep empathy, sharing that she was simultaneously “motivated, inspired, and devastated” by the story.

Turning this sentiment into action, Dr. Kuriansky spurred a spontaneous moment of unity. She asked Kargbo if she would be willing to lead a “girls’ campaign” and then challenged the audience to join.

Legislative Context and Democratic Dialogue

The discussion took place at a moment when national attention is focused on strengthening protection for children. During the review of the Child Rights Act 2024, there was an opportunity to explicitly address FGM as part of broader child protection efforts. While the final Act did not retain a specific provision on FGM, the process highlighted the importance of continued public dialogue, consensus-building, and community engagement to address harmful practices affecting girls.

In his statement, Hon. Chernor Bah, Minister of Information and Civic Education, provided clarity on the country’s legislative landscape. He confirmed that the Executive, including Cabinet and President Julius Maada Bio, supported provisions in the original draft of the Child Rights Bill that sought to prohibit FGM for individuals under the age of 18.

He noted that although the provision was not adopted by Parliament, the outcome reflected democratic decision-making. Citing evidence that more than 90 percent of those subjected to FGM in Sierra Leone are minors, Minister Bah emphasized the need for continued public engagement and advocacy to build broader consensus.

Democracy requires dialogue and persuasion, he said, encouraging citizens and institutions to continue working together to protect the health and rights of children.

Distinguishing Culture from Harm

The Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Dr. Isata Mahoi, echoed the distinction between cultural identity and harmful practices.

Culture can evolve in ways that protect the dignity, health, and rights of women and girls.

Dr. Mahoi highlighted ongoing collaboration with Paramount Chiefs and traditional leaders, including Soweis (traditional practitioners of FGM), through memoranda of understanding that promote alternative rites of passage, sometimes referred to as "bloodless initiation." Such approaches allow cultural traditions to continue without physical harm.

These efforts are already taking root in several communities. In some areas, traditional leaders have begun declaring “Bondo without cutting.” A representative from the Forum Against Harmful Practices confirmed this shift, noting successful alternative rites of passage have already been conducted in districts including Port Loko, Moyamba, and Tonkolili.

UNFPA’s Position and Collective Action

While the legislative battle continues, UNFPA Representative Kunle Adeniyi stressed that ultimate progress lies in community acceptance. He argued for a gender-transformative approach that puts survivors at the center and engages men and boys to shift the social norms sustaining these practices.

UNFPA maintains a clear and principled position that Female Genital Mutilation is a harmful practice and a violation of the human rights of women and girls. Ending FGM requires coordinated, long-term action addressing the social norms, power relations, and structural factors that sustain it.

Through the programme to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation in Sierra Leone, funded by the Government of Iceland, UNFPA is working with Government institutions, civil society organizations, traditional leaders, and communities to end FGM and other harmful practices using a gender-transformative, rights-based, and survivor-centered approach. Under the programme, UNFPA is supporting the Ministry of Gender to develop a National Strategy for the Reduction of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Sierra Leone 2025-2030 which is a critical framework to guide interventions towards ending the harmful practice. Additionally, through programme support, the Ministry launched the Men End FGM Movement, outlining how to engage men and boys as allies for change. The programme has also supported advocacy efforts following the ECOWAS Court of Justice ruling, which found Sierra Leone in breach of its obligations to protect the rights of women and girls, reinforcing calls for strengthened legal protection.

As the Salone Civic Festival reflected on the theme “Salone big pas wi all” (Sierra Leone is bigger than all of us), the dialogue demonstrated that while legislative processes may take time, social norms are evolving. Through partnership, evidence, and sustained engagement, communities across the country are working together towards a future where women and girls can live free from harm, with their rights fully protected.

Media contact: George Komeh | Communications Unit | UNFPA Sierra Leone | komeh@unfpa.org