FREETOWN, July 8, 2025 — In a landmark judgment, the ECOWAS Court of Justice has ruled that the Government of Sierra Leone violated the rights of women and girls by failing to criminalize Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), declaring the practice a grave form of violence tantamount to torture.
The court found Sierra Leone in breach of its international obligations under key human rights instruments, including the Maputo Protocol and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
The ruling came in response to a legal challenge filed by FGM survivor Kadija, with the support of advocacy groups The Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP) and Purposeful.
In its decision, the regional court ordered Sierra Leone to urgently enact specific legislation prohibiting FGM, conduct thorough investigations and prosecutions of perpetrators, and pay $30,000 in compensation to Kadija for the harm she suffered.
“This is a hard-won victory for all girls and women,” said Kadija shortly after the verdict. Human rights advocates hailed the ruling as a turning point.
Dr. Ramatu Bangura, Co-CEO of Purposeful, described the decision as “historic,” noting its significance for the more than 230 million women and girls globally who have undergone FGM.
Neneh Turay of FAHP called the judgment “a moral victory in the fight to end impunity for such harmful practices.”
The decision comes just a day after Sierra Leone’s Parliament passed the Child Rights Act 2025 into law, aimed at strengthening protections for children, including provisions addressing harmful traditional practices. However, the law has faced early scrutiny.
In a clarification issued on July 8, Parliament acknowledged that the act does not explicitly criminalize FGM or outline penalties for offenders.
This omission has sparked criticism from civil society groups, who argue that the failure to clearly outlaw FGM undermines both national efforts and international commitments to safeguard girls’ rights.
Legal experts say the ECOWAS ruling now places Sierra Leone under increased pressure to align its domestic laws with binding regional human rights standards.
“The court has sent a clear message: states cannot hide behind cultural practices when the rights and dignity of women and girls are at stake,” said one legal observer.
The ruling is expected to serve as a precedent across West Africa, where efforts to eliminate FGM remain uneven. For Sierra Leone, a country where an estimated 83% of women aged 15 to 49 have undergone the procedure, the judgment marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle to end the practice.
As the government considers its next steps, advocates are urging swift legislative reform, robust enforcement mechanisms, and community-based education to eradicate FGM once and for all.
