Husbands and fathers

Officially, FGM/C may be considered a purely female affair in Sierra Leonean culture, but in practice, men do play a central role: in Sierra Leone’s patriarchal society, they are in many cases the main breadwinners of their families and thus the ones who finance the expensive ritual and thus make it possible in the first place. The conviction that men only want to marry a cut woman is also a major reason for the enormous pressure on women and girls to undergo FGM/C. Men are therefore an important target group for AIM and are themselves involved in awareness-raising work via so-called “Husbands Clubs” or “Fathers Clubs” in order to convince more of their peers of the harmfulness of FGM/C.