Ending FGM IN
Sierra Leone
The fight to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Sierra Leone is entering a decisive phase.
Despite billions in donor cuts, grassroots women across West Africa are determined to eradicate FGM, armed with a historic new court ruling.
This summer, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court made a landmark ruling: FGM is a form of torture. This ruling ordered the government of Sierra Leone to criminalize the practice. However, this life-saving message will not reach remote communities unless it is delivered directly.
The Born Perfect Bus Tour (renamed from “Caravan” to avoid associations with Western interventions that could cause local resistance), set to roll out in Sierra Leone on November 10th from Freetown, marks the launch of West Africa’s ambitious
BORN PERFECT CAMPAIGN FOR THE ERADICATION OF FGM
This initiative is backed by the Born Perfect Consortium, which includes the Global Media Campaign, the Wallace Global Fund, the European Union (EU), the World Bank, and the Olwyn Foundation.
The Born Perfect Campaign will follow a strategic route from Kambia to Masiaka, Mile 91 (Tonkolili), and finally to Kailahun, ensuring maximum coverage in high-prevalence districts.
The team will travel into high-prevalence communities – where over 90% of women and girls are cut – to break the silence on the truth about FGM, support survivors, and bring the official court ruling that “FGM is a form of torture” to remote communities.
83% of Sierra Leonean women aged 15-49 have been cut – a staggering 2.5–3 million women and girls.
For too long, FGM has remained a silent crisis for women and girls in Sierra Leone, a country with one of the highest prevalence rates in West Africa.
An estimated 44,000 women die annually during childbirth due complications related to FGM, often along with their newborns.
OUR 6-PILLAR STRATEGY
The Born Perfect Campaign in Sierra Leone will be a multi-pronged, locally-led initiative designed to dismantle the political and cultural structures that sustain FGM.
The Born Perfect Academies
We will inform, mobilise, and train local activists, religious leaders, traditional chiefs, and even Soweis (Bondo Society leaders), empowering them to become community leaders in the movement to end FGM.
The Born Perfect Bus Tour
Adapting the term “caravan,” which is often criticised as a Western intervention in Sierra Leone, our activists, doctors, police officials, key influencers, and lawyers will travel through high-prevalence communities, breaking the silence on the truth about FGM and delivering the ECOWAS ruling into villages.
Survivor Support
Our survivor-led psychosocial support and trauma healing sessions will provide a safe space for women and girls in remote areas to heal from the trauma of FGM and GBV. The expansion of the campaign will also include the Medical Re-Opening Clinics for survivors with Type III FGM.
Strengthening Justice Systems
We will train police and magistrates to ensure an effective and engaged legal response to FGM and GBV, building on the progress of the ECOWAS ruling.
Strengthening Education Systems
We will replace traditional Bondo cutting huts with schools to encourage girls to stay in school, as being cut triples the likelihood of a girl dropping out.
Media Campaigns
The campaign will be amplified through activist-led radio and TV blitzes, featuring cultural, legal, and medical leaders who will reinforce the message: “Our girls are born perfect.”
OUR PARTNER ON THE GROUND:
Amazonian Initiative Movement (AIM)
We are proud to partner with the Amazonian Initiative Movement (AIM), Sierra Leone’s leading grassroots organisation dedicated to ending FGM and GBV. Founded in 2000 by a group of survivors, AIM has over 20 years of deep community trust and has been instrumental in creating lasting change from within.
AIM’s co-founder, Rugiatu Neneh Turay, is one of Sierra Leone’s most trusted advocates for women and girls, and chair of the Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP). A survivor and activist, and Chair of the Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP), she has a proven track record of uniting grassroots efforts with legal and policy reform, playing a key role in the ongoing ECOWAS court case.
AIM has a history of success that demonstrates the power of local-led movements. Their achievements include:
Replacing 18 traditional Bondo cutting huts with schools.
Training over 100 police officers, prosecutors, and legal practitioners to strengthen the prosecution of violence against women.
Pioneering "Bloodless Rites" in collaboration with the Bondo Society as a safe and culturally respected alternative to cutting.
Creating the first safe shelter for FGM survivors in Sierra Leone.
The Blueprint for West Africa
The success of the Born Perfect Campaign in Sierra Leone is laying the vital groundwork for a regional movement. Our ultimate vision is to scale this proven, cost-effective model across the entire region, ensuring that a generation of girls is born perfect.
The fight against FGM knows no borders. Following our initial launch, the Born Perfect FGM Eradication Campaign will expand its reach across key partner nations in the region: Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Liberia.
Your support is vital. Donate here to eradicate FGM and keep the wheels of the Sierra Leone Born Perfect Buses right turning across the country.