By: Audrey Raymonda John
Khadija Baliama Allieu, a brave young woman from Kenema District, has broken her silence after surviving one of the most brutal forms of violence against women and girls in Sierra Leone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
At a press conference held on Tuesday, 16th September 2025, at the Purposeful headquarters in Freetown, Khadija called on the government of President Julius Maada Bio to respect the ruling of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court and take immediate action to outlaw FGM across the country.
Fighting back tears, Khadija recounted the horrifying ordeal that changed her life forever. “I was blindfolded, beaten, and held down while a sowei sat on my chest. My clitoris was brutally cut, leaving me bleeding heavily and fighting for my life,” she said.
“Even after I was rescued and rushed to Kenema Government Hospital, the soweis came back demanding that I be handed over to them. I thought I would die.”
With support from the Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP) and Purposeful, Khadija took the unprecedented step of suing the Government of Sierra Leone at the ECOWAS Court. The court the highest judicial authority in West Africa — ruled in her favor, holding the government accountable for failing to protect women and girls from such violations.
“There are many Khadijas across Sierra Leone girls and women suffering in silence because of harmful traditions. My fight is for them too. No girl should go through what I went through,” she declared.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Female Genital Mutilation involves procedures that include the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It has no health benefits and can lead to severe bleeding, chronic pain, urinary problems, infections, infertility, complications in childbirth, and an increased risk of newborn deaths.
Despite these dangers, Sierra Leone currently has no law explicitly banning FGM. Every year, thousands of girls and women are subjected to the practice, often under the guise of preserving cultural identity.
Globally, over 200 million women and girls have undergone FGM primarily in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia.
In Sierra Leone, the 2019 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) revealed that 83% of women aged 15–49 had undergone FGM a slight decline from 90% in 2013, but still one of the highest prevalence rates in the world. Most girls are cut between the ages of 10 and 14, with higher rates in rural areas than in urban settings.
Madam Rugiatu Neneh Turay Koroma, Chairperson of the Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP) and Executive Director of the Amazonian Initiative Movement (AIM), described Khadija’s experience as: “Inhumane, degrading, and a clear violation of her rights.”
She stressed that Khadija’s story is not isolated many girls have died during Bondo society initiations, though most cases remain unreported or quietly resolved by community leaders. “Almost all districts in Sierra Leone have reported FGM-related deaths,” Turay said. “We cannot continue to sacrifice our daughters in the name of tradition.”
Josephine Kamara, Advocacy and Community Manager at Purposeful, described Khadija’s case as a test of Sierra Leone’s commitment to the protection of women and girls.
“Khadija has shown extraordinary courage in taking on the state and confronting a practice that has silenced women for generations. Her story is a painful reminder that FGM is not culture it is violence.
The government must respect the ECOWAS ruling and act now to protect the next generation of girls. ”Her fight has become a symbol of resilience, justice, and hope a rallying call for a country caught between harmful traditions and the urgent need to protect the rights and futures of its girls and women.
