Decision By University of Cambridge To Invite Sierra Leone’s Pro-FGM First Lady To Speak About Women’s Rights is Wrong
June 3 2026
We, the undersigned survivors, activists, campaigners and organisations working to end female genital mutilation (FGM), express our profound disappointment and concern at the decision by the University of Cambridge to invite Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio, to participate in the Global Power Women Forum and to speak on issues relating to women’s rights and empowerment.
This invitation comes shortly after public remarks made by the First Lady in Sierra Leone that appeared to reassure cutters that they had nothing to fear and that the practice should continue. These comments, captured on video and widely circulated by Sierra Leonean anti-FGM campaigners, have caused deep distress among survivors and frontline activists who have spent years working to protect girls from this grave form of violence against girls.
FGM is a recognised violation of the human rights of women and girls. It involves the cutting of healthy genital tissue and can result in severe pain, lifelong physical complications, psychological trauma, childbirth complications and, in some cases, death. More than 230 million women and girls worldwide are living with the consequences of FGM, while research suggests that tens of thousands of girls may die each year from its direct and indirect effects.
Sierra Leone remains one of the countries with the highest prevalence of FGM in the world. For decades, courageous women, survivors and community activists have worked under extremely difficult conditions to challenge the practice and support girls at risk. Many have faced intimidation, social exclusion and political opposition. Their work deserves recognition, support and solidarity from international institutions.
Instead, the decision to provide a prestigious platform to a political figure who appears unwilling to unequivocally oppose FGM sends a deeply troubling message. It risks undermining the efforts of frontline activists and survivors who are fighting every day to ensure that the next generation of girls can grow up free from violence and coercion.
Universities play a vital role in shaping public debate and advancing human rights. Academic institutions should be places where difficult conversations are welcomed and harmful practices are challenged. They should not inadvertently confer legitimacy on political leaders whose public statements appear inconsistent with internationally recognised commitments to the rights and bodily autonomy of women and girls.
We are particularly concerned about the message this sends to survivors. For many women and girls who have experienced FGM, hearing influential figures defend or excuse the practice is profoundly painful. To then see those same figures celebrated on international stages as advocates for women’s empowerment creates a dangerous contradiction. Women’s rights cannot be selectively defended. One cannot credibly champion the empowerment of women while simultaneously supporting the continuation of violence against girls.
This issue is not about politics, nationality or culture. Some of the most courageous opponents of FGM have been African women themselves. Across the continent, survivors, activists, religious leaders, healthcare professionals and community organisers have demonstrated that ending FGM is entirely compatible with respecting culture, identity and tradition. What they reject is not African culture but the unnecessary suffering of girls.
We therefore call upon the organisers of the Global Power Women Forum and the University of Cambridge to reconsider the appropriateness of this invitation. At a minimum, we urge the organisers to publicly acknowledge the concerns raised by African anti-FGM activists and ensure that any discussion involving the First Lady addresses these issues directly and transparently.
Most importantly, we call on international institutions to listen to survivors and frontline activists. Too often, those working closest to the problem are excluded from the platforms where decisions and narratives are shaped. If we are serious about ending violence against women and girls, the voices of those leading that struggle must be heard.
African girls deserve leaders who will stand unequivocally on the side of their rights, safety and dignity. They deserve political leadership that rejects FGM in all its forms and works actively to end it. Anything less is a failure of responsibility.
Signed,
Nimco Ali OBE, Co-Founder, The Five Foundation, The Global Partnership To End FGM
Alimatu Dimonekene MBE, Founder, A Girl At A Time
Anita Koroma, Founder/Country Director, Girl Child Network Sierra Leone
Aminata Koroma, Executive Coordinator, Women’s Initiative For Self-Empowerment (WISE)
Christiana Y. Kanu, Executive Director, Self Help And Development Everywhere (Sierra Leone)
Dr (Hon) Comfort Momoh MBE, FRCM, Founder, Global Comfort
Doris Fatima Webber, Director, Women’s Advocacy and Agricultural Development Organisation
Fatmata M. Sesay, National Co-ordinator, Lift (Sierra Leone)
Gillian Squires MBE, HonourMeLtd
Hannah F Yambasu, Executive Director, Women Against Violence and Exploitation in society (WAVES) SL
Hawa Daboh Sesay OBE, Hawa Trust UK/SL
Ishmeal Cole, National Coordinator, Forum Against Harmful Practice (FAHP)
Juliet Albert
Mama Sylla, La Fraternite
Rugiatu Neneh Turay, Director, Amazonian Initiative Movement (AIM) and Chairperson, Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP)
Salamatu Waterloo, National Cordinator, Sierra Leone Tamaraneh Gender Development
Valerie Lolomari MBE, Women of Grace UK