Conversations Changing Mali: How a Former FGM Defender Became Advocate for Girls

Mali has one of the highest FGM prevalence rates in West and Central Africa, while the country does not have legislation specifically criminalizing the practice.

For years, Sidi Haidara saw female genital mutilation (FGM) as something that belonged to the traditions of his community in central Mali, passed from one generation to another and rarely questioned by the people around him. His views have changed dramatically, and the father and respected community leader now travels between villages encouraging families to consider what the practice means for the health, rights and futures of their daughters. His personal transformation carries particular weight in Mali, where an estimated nine out of ten women and girls have undergone FGM and where the practice remains deeply embedded in social norms.

Mali has one of the highest FGM prevalence rates in West and Central Africa, while the country does not have legislation specifically criminalising the practice. Resistance to abandoning FGM also remains visible, including a recent all-male campaign defending it in the name of tradition. In communities where beliefs have been reinforced across generations, messages from people who understand those traditions from within can open conversations that outside pressure may struggle to start.

Training Gave Haidara a Reason to Question Beliefs He Had Always Accepted

Haidara's thinking began to shift after he participated in workshops, training sessions and community dialogues through the Men and Boys as Agents of Change project, implemented by UN Women with financial support from the Government of Germany. The sessions introduced him to the physical, psychological and social consequences that FGM can have for girls and women, giving him information that challenged beliefs he had previously regarded as an unquestioned part of community life.

"I used to believe that this practice was part of our traditions and needed to be preserved," Haidara said. Learning about its consequences changed the way he understood both FGM and his own responsibility within the community. He also came to see that changing deeply rooted social norms requires people to be heard rather than simply instructed, because families are more likely to reconsider inherited practices when discussions take place in an atmosphere of trust, respect and shared responsibility.

Village Conversations Are Giving Families Space to Rethink FGM

Haidara now regularly brings together families, religious leaders, women, young people and other members of the community for awareness sessions where participants can speak openly about FGM and girls' rights. Rather than entering these discussions simply to tell families what they should believe, he uses questions and conversation to explore what protecting a girl really means, allowing people to examine traditions against the health risks and consequences girls may experience.

Those conversations are beginning to influence attitudes. Haidara says more parents are asking questions, discussions about protecting girls have become more open, and some families have chosen to abandon FGM. "I am convinced that protecting girls today means investing in the future of our entire community," he said, connecting the safety and opportunities available to girls with the wider well-being of families and future generations.

Men Who Once Supported the Practice Are Becoming Voices for Change

Haidara's work forms part of a wider community-led effort across Mali's Mopti and Gao regions. With support from Germany, UN Women is working with traditional and religious leaders, women, young people and men to challenge harmful social norms and prevent violence against women and girls. Fifty community initiatives have been implemented across the two regions, alongside eight community-dialogue platforms where residents can discuss girls' rights, protection and ways to prevent gender-based violence.

For Haidara, abandoning FGM is no longer simply a debate over whether a tradition should continue. He sees it as a question of whether girls can grow up safely, remain in school and have greater freedom to shape their own lives. His journey also illustrates why people who previously defended harmful practices can become powerful advocates for change, since they understand the beliefs, fears and social expectations that keep those practices alive.

Traditions built over generations rarely disappear after a single conversation, yet each discussion can give another parent or community leader a reason to reconsider what they once accepted without question. In Mopti and Gao, that process is unfolding family by family, showing how communities can begin creating a different future when trusted voices within them choose to speak for the safety, dignity and opportunities of girls.