By Davida Spaine- Solomon
Port Loko District, 8th December 2025- As the EU continues its nationwide Bus Tour on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), the team arrived in Mange Burreh, Burreh Chiefdom, Port Loko, where the heart of the conversation shifted from policy to lived experience. And at the center of that experience was Zainab Mansaray, a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM), standing boldly in her orange polo shirt that read, “My Voice Matters.”
With tears gathering in her eyes, Zainab shared a story she says she has carried for decades.
“I was only 10,” she began. “I was a naïve little girl. I didn’t know what was happening until it was already done.”
She described the initiation as “unexplainable pain,” a cutting that led to days of bleeding, difficulty walking, and memories she says no child should ever have.
“The kind of pain you feel during initiation… you will never feel that pain again, even till death,” she said quietly.
Though some people often speak of the “positive side” of FGM, Zainab explained that much of what was once considered cultural training has disappeared.
“People talk about the drum calls, the old teachings about managing your home and caring for children,” she said. “But that was in the past. Now, it’s just cutting. The soweis only want the money. Nothing is being taught anymore.”
As she grew older and eventually got married, the long-term impact became clearer.
“I didn’t enjoy sex,” she said frankly. “I thought my husband was the problem. I even started sleeping with other men just to see if something would change. But it didn’t.”
When she finally spoke to a doctor, she learned the truth:
“Women who go through bondo don’t enjoy sex. That was the first time I understood what had been done to me.”
The realization broke her marriage and nearly broke her spirit.
“I lost relationships. I exposed myself to unhealthy situations trying to understand what was wrong with me,” she said. “All because of something I never chose.”
Today, Zainab uses her story as a tool for change. She speaks in communities, schools, and gatherings like the EU Bus Tour not because it’s easy, but because she believes silence keeps the practice alive.
“People say ending FGM is destroying culture,” she said. “But most of them are not victims. They don’t know the pain. They don’t know what we go through.”
She added that despite ongoing advocacy, the practice persists but the progress is visible.
“Change is a process,” she noted. “Now, awareness is louder. Young girls, women, and stakeholders all sit at the same table. That alone is growth.”
She thanked the EU for its sustained support and called on government to strengthen the law and protect girls, welcoming the involvement of men in the conversation.
“They are the ones who often finance these initiations,” she said. “Now they know it is dangerous.”
Another community voice, Memunatu Kanu, known in the bondo society by her sowei name Nfat, shared her own transformation.
“I was very young when I was initiated,” she said. “I became a sowei too. But now, I know better. I would rather send my children to school than to the bondo bush. I will use my money for their education.”
The advocacy movement is led strongly by Rugiatu Neneh Turay, Founder and Director of the Amazonian Initiative Movement, who has spent years confronting harmful traditional practices.
“Our message is simple,” she said. “Leave the girls the way they were born.”
At Burreh Chiefdom, the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Isata Mahoi, assured community members that the campaign will continue across every district. She reminded soweis that the law strictly prohibits initiating girls under 18 and urged mothers to uphold the law and protect their daughters.
The Irish Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Patrick McManus, praised the courage of Port Loko residents for speaking openly about a topic once considered forbidden.
“When I arrived two months ago, I was told FGM was taboo,” he said. “That has clearly changed.”
He emphasized that the 16 Days of Activism is only one of many efforts to end SGBV and assured Sierra Leoneans that development partners will remain steadfast in supporting the Government of Sierra Leone.
But at the heart of it all is Zainab, one survivor whose painful past is shaping a safer future for countless girls.
“I speak because I don’t want another child to go through what I went through,” she said. “If my story can save even one girl, then it is worth telling.”
