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The First Lady of Sierra Leone, Fatima Jabbe-Bio, has been removed from the speaker lineup of a global women’s empowerment conference following intense backlash from women’s rights campaigners and survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM).
Jabbe-Bio had been invited to speak at the upcoming Global Power Women Forum, organized by the UK-based Centre for Economic and Leadership Development (CELD) and hosted at Cambridge University’s Wolfson College.
The controversy centers on Jabbe-Bio’s repeated refusal to publicly condemn FGM since her husband, Julius Maada Bio, was elected president of Sierra Leone in 2018.
A coalition of a dozen survivors and anti-FGM activists, organized by the advocacy group The Five Foundation, penned a letter to CELD and Wolfson College demanding they rescind the invitation.
“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.”
The first lady has previously stated she does not believe the practice is harmful. In a 2019 BBC interview, Jabbe-Bio stated that she herself is “circumcised” but had not subjected her two daughters to the procedure because she “did not want to see them cry.” Regarding the dangers of FGM, she remarked:
“In Sierra Leone, people talk about [the harm caused by FGM], they say that this is happening, but no one has actually shown me the proof. No one has given me the statistics to say this is what is going on.”
The criticism intensified last week after video footage emerged of her giving a speech to a large crowd in Kenema, where she again appeared to condone the practice. When asked by The Times to comment on her participation in the upcoming forum, Jabbe-Bio responded:
“I would have loved to answer you but honestly I am not going to waste my precious time. If you are looking for a slave I am not one of them.”
Following the outcry, CELD Executive Director Ibifuro Ken-Giami confirmed that Jabbe-Bio has been dropped from the event, noting that the organization strongly opposes FGM.
Wolfson College also moved to distance itself from the conference. Although promotional materials listed the Cambridge college as an “academic partner,” a spokeswoman clarified the relationship:
“The event in question is not being run in collaboration or partnership with Wolfson College, despite being hosted onsite.”
