Activists Demand Sierra Leone First Lady Clarify Female Genital Mutilation Stance

A group of health professionals, politicians, and human rights activists sent a letter on June 10, 2026, demanding clarification from Sierra Leone First Lady Fatima Maada Bio over her perceived support of female genital mutilation (FGM).

As reported by The Guardian, the co-signatories wrote to the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (Oaflad), which Bio currently leads as president, expressing concern that her public remarks risk undermining years of advocacy against the practice. Sierra Leone currently has no law criminalizing FGM, and a national survey indicated that 83% of women in the country had undergone the procedure by 2019.

More than 20 advocates signed the letter, including human rights lawyer Isha Dyfan and Amy Smythe, the former minister of gender and children’s affairs for Sierra Leone. The group emphasized that public perceptions of official backing for FGM create misalignments with international commitments.

Ranya Kargbo, a senior United Nations professional and FGM survivor who signed the correspondence, raised concerns regarding a video recording where Bio appeared supportive of traditional practitioners known as soweis.

“When you are in a leadership position, your words matter,” said Kargbo.

Kargbo expressed that reassuring the practitioners from the highest office in the country undermined the efforts of survivors and anti-FGM advocates.

“When [Bio] said to the soweis [the cutters], not to be afraid of anything and that she stands with them, those were powerful words from the highest office in Sierra Leone,” said Kargbo.

The advocate noted that such messaging serves as an implicit endorsement for the practice to continue without consequence.

“When somebody says that, it means ‘I have all the resources and support, do what you want’. It is an absolute slap in the face for all of us,” said Kargbo.

Bio denied endorsing the practice and stated that her public remarks were misinterpreted by her critics.

“I am not in favour of any form of circumcision that is forced upon an individual,” said Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone.

Bio stated that she does not use her platform to campaign either for or against the practice, but noted that as a circumcised woman herself, she required localized data showing its harm before openly condemning it. She recently shared a journal article on her Facebook page critiquing global anti-FGM campaigns and labeled several high-profile campaigners as scammers.

“My criticism has been directed at individuals whom I believe have misrepresented my position and sought to create a narrative that does not reflect my actual views,” said Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone.

The ongoing dispute follows a ruling by the Ecowas court of justice ordering Sierra Leone to criminalize FGM, though President Julius Maada Bio has not publicly acknowledged the decision and excluded FGM provisions from the Child Rights Act 2025.…Read more by Noah Benjamin