Understanding Community Voices in Europe: Haja Bilkisu Conteh reclaims her power after FGM

In Europe, the issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has only recently  entered the public sphere.  It wasn’t until the adoption of the Istanbul Convention in 2011 Europe’s first binding treaty on preventing and combating violence against women, which entered into force in 2014 that FGM was officially recognised as a form of gender-based violence at European level.   This formal recognition was the result of years of persistent grassroots efforts by survivors, community advocates, and frontline organisations who refused to remain silent. 

The Community Voices Project aims to spotlight six of these powerful voices: activists from FGM-affected communities across France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Through their stories, this project  seeks to highlight  how FGM survivors are working to contribute to stronger  policy, reshaping public discourse, and challenging the deeply ingrained social and cultural norms that continue to perpetuate FGM in diaspora communities. 

Haja Bilkisu Conteh: healing through the power of conversations 

 One of those activists is Haja Bilkisu Conteh, based in Germany and originally from Sierra Leone. At just eight years old, Bilkisu underwent FGM. Today, she owns her story to drive change. 

"The abuse that was done to me does not reflect my value. It does not negate my womanhood.” 

In Sierra Leone, FGM is deeply entwined with secret societies like the Bondo Society, where girls are initiated through rituals that include FGM. Bilkisu’s experience was different: her cutting was medicalised, performed in a hospital, which is highly uncommon in her country. But whether carried out in a clinic or a bush, the harm is the same. And so is the need to speak out. 

“FGM covers literally every aspect of abuse that there is, like physical, sexual, mental, spiritual and even financial abuse.” she explains “then 2021, in August I had a third surgery, so this is my personal development, and then after I really made sure that my body is okay again, I also started therapy in 2021 in May. And after all of that, I started to go public, basically. So it escalated, you know? A long process of me finding myself, healing.” 

From Survivor to Activist 

Bilkisu began privately researching FGM at 16. In her 20s, she started therapy and underwent three reconstructive surgeries. By 2023, she stepped into public activism: publishing videos with fellow activists, connecting with other leaders, publishing her book, and traveling to Sierra Leone to present it and speak with girls in schools. 

“I had interesting conversations with the students where most of the girls are already cut”  where she had the opportunity to “present something new, new ideas to themselves, and I am very passionate about the topic, and I want to create a space where girls can be protected, and this is something I truly believe in. I believe in really caring for girls, and seeing their value ss human beings, and they don't have to conform to a traditional culture that is only there to harm them. “ 

Lack of trained professionals 

While European countries  have outlawed FGM, enforcement remains symbolic without strong and sustainable prevention systems. Teachers, doctors, and social workers often lack training or awareness. Indeed, in Germany, FGM is only included in the curricula for midwifes since 2020 and is one of the few countries that offer publicly funded reconstructive surgery. But as Bilkisu makes clear, the system lacks the tools, training, and sensitivity to truly support survivors. 

“Not once has a gynecologist ever asked me about FGM, even when they could clearly see it,” she says. “the medical field is far behind in Germany. I was just lucky to have found a good surgeon, who really does amazing work. That's very rare to find. So I was very lucky, but that alone was a fight, because no gynecologist ever helped me, so all my information that I got, even finding a surgeon, came from my own effort.” 

When FGM is still an 'African problem' 

Harmful and biased narratives are still deeply rooted in Europe when addressing FGM. 

“I think in Germany or in the West in general there's this  assumption that FGM only belongs to Africa.  It's not really understood that because of globalisation, it's everywhere.  And it's not only practiced in Africa. A lot of Asian countries practice FGM. And even in Europe, in the past, FGM was practiced.” 

“I think the West wants to treat FGM like a headline. The West often  misses the complexity of FGM.  Most FGM cases persist due to deeply entrenched social norms, community pressure, and cultural beliefs about women’s sexuality and honour, often reinforced by lack of education. FGM is seen as something that can't be reversed in any type of way. And as well, that women who underwent FGM are asexual. So I don't like those rigid definitions of FGM. It really wants to simplify the issue. And at the same time, women are dehumanised.” 

“For me, I never felt truly seen when I watched some awareness videos  about FGM. It's so dramatic. It's like they declare your life as over, like, you're not valuable anymore because of what you experienced. You're not a woman anymore, you're not a sexual being and you should be pitied for the rest of your life. That's what I'm getting from all of these awareness  from the West.” 

Looking forward 

Bilkisu’s activism is built on reclaiming her power, affirming her identity, and envisioning a world where girls are protected and survivors are supported. 

“It's easier to prevent things than to repair things.” 

Bilkisu calls for a radical shift in how FGM is addressed in Europe: not as a foreign problem, but as a form of gender-based violence that demands systemic, holistic and community-led solutions. 

To find out more about the project and the other activists’ journeys, click here!