Latest items for Sierra Leone
Dec. 13, 2024, 3:32 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: AFE-PRACTICE-1
"Ms. Barrie said that her family had begun pressuring her to marry when she was 10, and that she was disowned by her father when she was 15 for refusing. She said that she had worried that she would have to drop out of school. 'We have less educated women because of all of this,' she said" (para 13-14). "President Julius Maada Bio put 22 percent of the national budget into education and brought more women into government. He and his wife, Fatima Bio, pushed for the child marriage ban" (para 20).
Variables: AFE-PRACTICE-1
"Ms. Barrie said that her family had begun pressuring her to marry when she was 10, and that she was disowned by her father when she was 15 for refusing. She said that she had worried that she would have to drop out of school. 'We have less educated women because of all of this,' she said" (para 13-14). "President Julius Maada Bio put 22 percent of the national budget into education and brought more women into government. He and his wife, Fatima Bio, pushed for the child marriage ban" (para 20).
Dec. 13, 2024, 3:32 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: AOM-DATA-2
"There were about 800,000 girls under the age of 18 who were married in Sierra Leone, UNICEF reported in 2020, which is about a third of the girls in the country. Half had been married by the time they turned 15. About 4 percent of boys are wedded by 18, according to Human Rights Watch" (para 3).
Variables: AOM-DATA-2
"There were about 800,000 girls under the age of 18 who were married in Sierra Leone, UNICEF reported in 2020, which is about a third of the girls in the country. Half had been married by the time they turned 15. About 4 percent of boys are wedded by 18, according to Human Rights Watch" (para 3).
Dec. 13, 2024, 3:32 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: AOM-LAW-1
"The president of the small West African country of Sierra Leone signed a law on Tuesday that banned marriage for children age 18 and younger and would impose steep fines on adult spouses" (para 1). "The new legislation goes further than many other similar laws in Africa, experts said, by penalizing people who enable the marriage — like the parents, the officiant and even the wedding guests — in addition to the husband" (para 2). "Under the new law, those married as children can seek financial compensation. They also have a path out of their marriages: petitioning for an annulment" (para 4). "Under the new legislation, which went into effect...more
Variables: AOM-LAW-1
"The president of the small West African country of Sierra Leone signed a law on Tuesday that banned marriage for children age 18 and younger and would impose steep fines on adult spouses" (para 1). "The new legislation goes further than many other similar laws in Africa, experts said, by penalizing people who enable the marriage — like the parents, the officiant and even the wedding guests — in addition to the husband" (para 2). "Under the new law, those married as children can seek financial compensation. They also have a path out of their marriages: petitioning for an annulment" (para 4). "Under the new legislation, which went into effect...more
Dec. 13, 2024, 3:32 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: AOM-PRACTICE-1
"Ms. Barrie said that her family had begun pressuring her to marry when she was 10, and that she was disowned by her father when she was 15 for refusing. She said that she had worried that she would have to drop out of school" (para 13). "Many women and girls would still have to go against their neighbors, their husbands and their families to refuse a marriage, petition to end one or seek compensation. Ms. Barrie was ostracized for refusing pressure from her family. 'All of them came together and went against me,' she said. 'I became the worst person to them.' She said that she had tried to...more
Variables: AOM-PRACTICE-1
"Ms. Barrie said that her family had begun pressuring her to marry when she was 10, and that she was disowned by her father when she was 15 for refusing. She said that she had worried that she would have to drop out of school" (para 13). "Many women and girls would still have to go against their neighbors, their husbands and their families to refuse a marriage, petition to end one or seek compensation. Ms. Barrie was ostracized for refusing pressure from her family. 'All of them came together and went against me,' she said. 'I became the worst person to them.' She said that she had tried to...more
Dec. 13, 2024, 3:32 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: INFIB-DATA-2
"About 61 percent of girls in Sierra Leone aged 15 to 19 have undergone female genital cutting, which can cause serious difficulties in childbirth" (para 15).
Variables: INFIB-DATA-2
"About 61 percent of girls in Sierra Leone aged 15 to 19 have undergone female genital cutting, which can cause serious difficulties in childbirth" (para 15).
Dec. 13, 2024, 3:32 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: NGOFW-DATA-1
"'They are forced to be adults before they are adults,' said Kadijatu Barrie, 26, a student and a program coordinator with Strong Girls Evolution, a networking organization for Sierra Leonean women, among other groups" (para 12).
Variables: NGOFW-DATA-1
"'They are forced to be adults before they are adults,' said Kadijatu Barrie, 26, a student and a program coordinator with Strong Girls Evolution, a networking organization for Sierra Leonean women, among other groups" (para 12).
Dec. 4, 2024, 4:38 p.m.
Countries: Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Sierra Leone
Variables: PW-LAW-1
"Illegal under civil law, allowed under customary law" (para 18).
Variables: PW-LAW-1
"Illegal under civil law, allowed under customary law" (para 18).
Nov. 1, 2024, 10:44 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: MMR-PRACTICE-1
"Medical care for pregnant women and babies is mostly free now in Sierra Leone, as is contraception" (para 5). "More than 90 percent of pregnant women in Sierra Leone now get prenatal care, and the great majority are assisted during delivery by a trained midwife, nurse or doctor. After delivery, nurses put babies to the breast right away and counsel moms on exclusive breastfeeding practices, reducing infant mortality" (para 9).
Variables: MMR-PRACTICE-1
"Medical care for pregnant women and babies is mostly free now in Sierra Leone, as is contraception" (para 5). "More than 90 percent of pregnant women in Sierra Leone now get prenatal care, and the great majority are assisted during delivery by a trained midwife, nurse or doctor. After delivery, nurses put babies to the breast right away and counsel moms on exclusive breastfeeding practices, reducing infant mortality" (para 9).
Nov. 1, 2024, 10:44 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: SAB-PRACTICE-1
"More than 90 percent of pregnant women in Sierra Leone now get prenatal care, and the great majority are assisted during delivery by a trained midwife, nurse or doctor. After delivery, nurses put babies to the breast right away and counsel moms on exclusive breastfeeding practices, reducing infant mortality" (para 9).
Variables: SAB-PRACTICE-1
"More than 90 percent of pregnant women in Sierra Leone now get prenatal care, and the great majority are assisted during delivery by a trained midwife, nurse or doctor. After delivery, nurses put babies to the breast right away and counsel moms on exclusive breastfeeding practices, reducing infant mortality" (para 9).
Nov. 1, 2024, 10:44 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: MMR-DATA-1
"Deaths in pregnancy and childbirth have plunged 74 percent since 2000, according to United Nations figures" (para 4).
Variables: MMR-DATA-1
"Deaths in pregnancy and childbirth have plunged 74 percent since 2000, according to United Nations figures" (para 4).
Nov. 1, 2024, 10:44 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: ISTD-PRACTICE-1
"Health centers are beginning to take on cervical cancer, a hideous disease (sometimes diagnosed partly by the stench of rotting flesh) that kills more people worldwide than maternal mortality but gets much less attention. Some girls in Sierra Leone now get the HPV vaccination against it, and some clinics offer low-cost screenings that bathe the cervix in vinegar and look for lesions" (para 11).
Variables: ISTD-PRACTICE-1
"Health centers are beginning to take on cervical cancer, a hideous disease (sometimes diagnosed partly by the stench of rotting flesh) that kills more people worldwide than maternal mortality but gets much less attention. Some girls in Sierra Leone now get the HPV vaccination against it, and some clinics offer low-cost screenings that bathe the cervix in vinegar and look for lesions" (para 11).
Nov. 1, 2024, 10:44 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: IM-DATA-1
"Sierra Leone, a country that remains heartbreakingly poor — yet where the risk of a child dying is less than half what it was 20 years ago (para 3).
Variables: IM-DATA-1
"Sierra Leone, a country that remains heartbreakingly poor — yet where the risk of a child dying is less than half what it was 20 years ago (para 3).
Nov. 1, 2024, 10:44 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: DACH-PRACTICE-2, GIC-LAW-1
"Medical care for pregnant women and babies is mostly free now in Sierra Leone, as is contraception" (para 5).
Variables: DACH-PRACTICE-2, GIC-LAW-1
"Medical care for pregnant women and babies is mostly free now in Sierra Leone, as is contraception" (para 5).
Nov. 1, 2024, 10:44 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: CRPLB-PRACTICE-1
"Medical care for pregnant women and babies is mostly free now in Sierra Leone, as is contraception" (para 5). "More than 90 percent of pregnant women in Sierra Leone now get prenatal care, and the great majority are assisted during delivery by a trained midwife, nurse or doctor. After delivery, nurses put babies to the breast right away and counsel moms on exclusive breastfeeding practices, reducing infant mortality" (para 9). "Obstetric fistulas are being repaired, giving girls their lives back, at a pace that couldn’t have been imagined 20 years ago" (para 12).
Variables: CRPLB-PRACTICE-1
"Medical care for pregnant women and babies is mostly free now in Sierra Leone, as is contraception" (para 5). "More than 90 percent of pregnant women in Sierra Leone now get prenatal care, and the great majority are assisted during delivery by a trained midwife, nurse or doctor. After delivery, nurses put babies to the breast right away and counsel moms on exclusive breastfeeding practices, reducing infant mortality" (para 9). "Obstetric fistulas are being repaired, giving girls their lives back, at a pace that couldn’t have been imagined 20 years ago" (para 12).
Aug. 10, 2024, 2:57 a.m.
Countries: Benin, Cameroon, Central African Rep, Cote D'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Syria, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Variables: MULTIVAR-SCALE-6
13.0
Variables: MULTIVAR-SCALE-6
13.0
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1
“Despite calls from activists and human rights advocates for the practice to be criminalised – including from the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls – [FGM] remains legal in Sierra Leone” (6). “FAHP [Forum Against Harmful Practices] is lobbying for a law that would criminalise FGM, and is working to promote alternative rite-of-passage ceremonies that forgo the practice. Last year, the organisation piloted FGM-free initiation ceremonies in three districts, and it hopes to extend the trial to two more this year. ‘The results have been very encouraging,’ said [executive secretary of FAHP, Aminata] Koroma. ‘There are many positive aspects of the Bondo societies,’ she said. ‘They teach...more
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1
“Despite calls from activists and human rights advocates for the practice to be criminalised – including from the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls – [FGM] remains legal in Sierra Leone” (6). “FAHP [Forum Against Harmful Practices] is lobbying for a law that would criminalise FGM, and is working to promote alternative rite-of-passage ceremonies that forgo the practice. Last year, the organisation piloted FGM-free initiation ceremonies in three districts, and it hopes to extend the trial to two more this year. ‘The results have been very encouraging,’ said [executive secretary of FAHP, Aminata] Koroma. ‘There are many positive aspects of the Bondo societies,’ she said. ‘They teach...more
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: NGOFW-DATA-1
“Aminata Koroma, the executive secretary of the Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP), an organisation working to end FGM in Sierra Leone, said the girls’ parents and those who cut them were in police custody” (3). “Divya Srinivasan, who leads on ending harmful practices at the NGO Equality Now, said: ‘It is completely unacceptable that despite women and girls continuing to die from FGM in Sierra Leone, there remains complete apathy from the government and an unwillingness to take desperately needed action to prevent these deaths or prohibit the practice’ ” (14).
Variables: NGOFW-DATA-1
“Aminata Koroma, the executive secretary of the Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP), an organisation working to end FGM in Sierra Leone, said the girls’ parents and those who cut them were in police custody” (3). “Divya Srinivasan, who leads on ending harmful practices at the NGO Equality Now, said: ‘It is completely unacceptable that despite women and girls continuing to die from FGM in Sierra Leone, there remains complete apathy from the government and an unwillingness to take desperately needed action to prevent these deaths or prohibit the practice’ ” (14).
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: MURDER-PRACTICE-2
“Police in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM). Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports. Aminata Koroma, the executive secretary of the Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP), an organisation working to end FGM in Sierra Leone, said the girls’ parents and those who cut them were in police custody” (1-3). “In 2021, Maseray Sei, 21, from Bonthe district in southern Sierra Leone died from complications after undergoing FGM. A practitioner was charged with manslaughter but the case was dismissed due to an...more
Variables: MURDER-PRACTICE-2
“Police in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM). Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports. Aminata Koroma, the executive secretary of the Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP), an organisation working to end FGM in Sierra Leone, said the girls’ parents and those who cut them were in police custody” (1-3). “In 2021, Maseray Sei, 21, from Bonthe district in southern Sierra Leone died from complications after undergoing FGM. A practitioner was charged with manslaughter but the case was dismissed due to an...more
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: MURDER-DATA-2
“Police in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM). Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports” (1-2). “In 2021, Maseray Sei, 21, from Bonthe district in southern Sierra Leone died from complications after undergoing FGM. A practitioner was charged with manslaughter but the case was dismissed due to an error in a medical report on Sei’s death” (13).
Variables: MURDER-DATA-2
“Police in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM). Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports” (1-2). “In 2021, Maseray Sei, 21, from Bonthe district in southern Sierra Leone died from complications after undergoing FGM. A practitioner was charged with manslaughter but the case was dismissed due to an error in a medical report on Sei’s death” (13).
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: INFIB-PRACTICE-1
“Police in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM). Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports” (1-2). “In 2021, Maseray Sei, 21, from Bonthe district in southern Sierra Leone died from complications after undergoing FGM. A practitioner was charged with manslaughter but the case was dismissed due to an error in a medical report on Sei’s death” (13). “Divya Srinivasan, who leads on ending harmful practices at the NGO Equality Now, said: ‘It is completely unacceptable that despite women and girls continuing to...more
Variables: INFIB-PRACTICE-1
“Police in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM). Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports” (1-2). “In 2021, Maseray Sei, 21, from Bonthe district in southern Sierra Leone died from complications after undergoing FGM. A practitioner was charged with manslaughter but the case was dismissed due to an error in a medical report on Sei’s death” (13). “Divya Srinivasan, who leads on ending harmful practices at the NGO Equality Now, said: ‘It is completely unacceptable that despite women and girls continuing to...more
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1
“Despite calls from activists and human rights advocates for the practice to be criminalised – including from the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls – [FGM] remains legal in Sierra Leone” (6).
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1
“Despite calls from activists and human rights advocates for the practice to be criminalised – including from the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls – [FGM] remains legal in Sierra Leone” (6).
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: INFIB-DATA-2, RISW-PRACTICE-1
“A national survey in 2019 found that 83% of women had undergone FGM, a slight drop from 90% in 2013” (6).
Variables: INFIB-DATA-2, RISW-PRACTICE-1
“A national survey in 2019 found that 83% of women had undergone FGM, a slight drop from 90% in 2013” (6).
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: INFIB-DATA-1
“FGM involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, and is considered a violation of women’s and girls’ human rights” (4).
Variables: INFIB-DATA-1
“FGM involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, and is considered a violation of women’s and girls’ human rights” (4).
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: DMW-PRACTICE-1
“The procedure [of FGM] is part of a traditional initiation ritual that marks a girl’s entry into womanhood. It is carried out by soweis, senior members of the all-women Bondo secret societies. FAHP [Forum Against Harmful Practices] is lobbying for a law that would criminalise FGM, and is working to promote alternative rite-of-passage ceremonies that forgo the practice. Last year, the organisation piloted FGM-free initiation ceremonies in three districts, and it hopes to extend the trial to two more this year. ‘The results have been very encouraging,’ said [executive secretary of FAHP, Aminata] Koroma…Research has found that the most effective FGM-free ceremonies are still those facilitated by the soweis. ‘When...more
Variables: DMW-PRACTICE-1
“The procedure [of FGM] is part of a traditional initiation ritual that marks a girl’s entry into womanhood. It is carried out by soweis, senior members of the all-women Bondo secret societies. FAHP [Forum Against Harmful Practices] is lobbying for a law that would criminalise FGM, and is working to promote alternative rite-of-passage ceremonies that forgo the practice. Last year, the organisation piloted FGM-free initiation ceremonies in three districts, and it hopes to extend the trial to two more this year. ‘The results have been very encouraging,’ said [executive secretary of FAHP, Aminata] Koroma…Research has found that the most effective FGM-free ceremonies are still those facilitated by the soweis. ‘When...more
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-2
“Divya Srinivasan, who leads on ending harmful practices at the NGO Equality Now, said: ‘It is completely unacceptable that despite women and girls continuing to die from FGM in Sierra Leone, there remains complete apathy from the government and an unwillingness to take desperately needed action to prevent these deaths or prohibit the practice’ ” (14).
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-2
“Divya Srinivasan, who leads on ending harmful practices at the NGO Equality Now, said: ‘It is completely unacceptable that despite women and girls continuing to die from FGM in Sierra Leone, there remains complete apathy from the government and an unwillingness to take desperately needed action to prevent these deaths or prohibit the practice’ ” (14).
July 23, 2024, 4:57 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: INFIB-PRACTICE-1
“The procedure [of FGM] is part of a traditional initiation ritual that marks a girl’s entry into womanhood. It is carried out by soweis, senior members of the all-women Bondo secret societies. FAHP [Forum Against Harmful Practices] is lobbying for a law that would criminalise FGM, and is working to promote alternative rite-of-passage ceremonies that forgo the practice. Last year, the organisation piloted FGM-free initiation ceremonies in three districts, and it hopes to extend the trial to two more this year. ‘The results have been very encouraging,’ said [executive secretary of FAHP, Aminata] Koroma. ‘There are many positive aspects of the Bondo societies,’ she said. ‘They teach girls about medicinal...more
Variables: INFIB-PRACTICE-1
“The procedure [of FGM] is part of a traditional initiation ritual that marks a girl’s entry into womanhood. It is carried out by soweis, senior members of the all-women Bondo secret societies. FAHP [Forum Against Harmful Practices] is lobbying for a law that would criminalise FGM, and is working to promote alternative rite-of-passage ceremonies that forgo the practice. Last year, the organisation piloted FGM-free initiation ceremonies in three districts, and it hopes to extend the trial to two more this year. ‘The results have been very encouraging,’ said [executive secretary of FAHP, Aminata] Koroma. ‘There are many positive aspects of the Bondo societies,’ she said. ‘They teach girls about medicinal...more
July 19, 2024, 9:09 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: WR-PRACTICE-1
“A Bloodless Rite, a film made by Purposeful and activists, powerfully illustrates feminist solidarity and possibility of sacred female spaces” (6).
Variables: WR-PRACTICE-1
“A Bloodless Rite, a film made by Purposeful and activists, powerfully illustrates feminist solidarity and possibility of sacred female spaces” (6).
July 19, 2024, 9:09 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1
“Sierra Leone made history when the president signed into law the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024. For a country with one of the highest rates of child marriage, teenage pregnancy and maternal mortality in the world, it is a crucial step forward, and a hard-won achievement for campaigners in west Africa” (1). “[D]espite... advances, the law falls short by missing the vital component in enacting the urgent reform needed to eradicate FGM, viewed by many as a precursor to marriage, regardless of age. Child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) are deeply interwoven, yet an amended Child Rights Act of 2024, laid out to protect girls from all forms...more
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1
“Sierra Leone made history when the president signed into law the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024. For a country with one of the highest rates of child marriage, teenage pregnancy and maternal mortality in the world, it is a crucial step forward, and a hard-won achievement for campaigners in west Africa” (1). “[D]espite... advances, the law falls short by missing the vital component in enacting the urgent reform needed to eradicate FGM, viewed by many as a precursor to marriage, regardless of age. Child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) are deeply interwoven, yet an amended Child Rights Act of 2024, laid out to protect girls from all forms...more
July 19, 2024, 9:09 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: NGOFW-PRACTICE-1, NGOFW-DATA-1
“Feminist movement partners, such as Purposeful, Not In My Name, and the Forum Against Harmful Practices, will continue to advocate and agitate in close dialogue with parliamentarians, to bring strategic litigation into the international spotlight, to pressure the government to support the strategy on the reduction of FGM, and to pass the all-encompassing Child Rights Act, pending since 2016” (10).
Variables: NGOFW-PRACTICE-1, NGOFW-DATA-1
“Feminist movement partners, such as Purposeful, Not In My Name, and the Forum Against Harmful Practices, will continue to advocate and agitate in close dialogue with parliamentarians, to bring strategic litigation into the international spotlight, to pressure the government to support the strategy on the reduction of FGM, and to pass the all-encompassing Child Rights Act, pending since 2016” (10).
July 19, 2024, 9:09 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: MURDER-PRACTICE-1
“The handful of high-profile cases in Sierra Leone, including the most recent concerning the death of three girls [due to Female Genital Mutilation], investigated by police in January, would have been ignored were it not for campaigners agitating and pushing it into international focus and advocating, ‘yes to culture, no to the harmful practice of cutting’. A Bloodless Rite, a film made by Purposeful and activists, powerfully illustrates feminist solidarity and possibility of sacred female spaces” (6).
Variables: MURDER-PRACTICE-1
“The handful of high-profile cases in Sierra Leone, including the most recent concerning the death of three girls [due to Female Genital Mutilation], investigated by police in January, would have been ignored were it not for campaigners agitating and pushing it into international focus and advocating, ‘yes to culture, no to the harmful practice of cutting’. A Bloodless Rite, a film made by Purposeful and activists, powerfully illustrates feminist solidarity and possibility of sacred female spaces” (6).