United Against Harmful Practices
The Network of Women Leaders for Development (RFLD) is leading the fight against Female Genital Mutilation across West Africa through advocacy, education, and survivor empowerment.
Engaging the Entire Ecosystem
Ending FGM requires a multi-sectoral approach. We work intimately with key pillars of society to drive sustainable change.
Traditional Leaders
We engage custodians of culture to redefine rites of passage. By dialoguing with chiefs and elders, we separate the cultural value of initiation from the harmful practice of cutting.
- Community Declarations
- Cultural reform dialogues
Religious Leaders
We facilitate theological dialogues to debunk the myth that FGM is a religious obligation. Imams and Pastors are trained to use their pulpits to preach protection of the body.
- Theological arguments against FGM
- Sermon guides & advocacy
Law Enforcement Officers
We train police and magistrates on anti-FGM laws. Our collaboration integrates community surveillance with formal justice, ensuring whistleblowers are protected.
- Enforcement of Law n° 2003-03
- Victim protection protocols
Teachers & Educators
We equip teachers with manuals to identify at-risk girls and integrate FGM awareness into school curricula. They create safe spaces for students to report threats.
- Early warning systems in schools
- FGM manual integration
Health Workers
We train medical staff to provide clinical care and psychosocial support. We enforce a strict "Do No Harm" policy to prevent medicalization of FGM.
- Clinical management of FGM
- Psychosocial counseling
Survivor Leadership
Survivors are not just beneficiaries; they are leaders. Trained as mentors and advocates, they lead the dialogue in their own communities.
Recueil de Témoignages
RFLD Manual 2022
Collection of Testimonies from FGM Survivors
RFLD has produced a groundbreaking manual titled "Recueil de Témoignages de Survivantes de Mutilations Génitales Féminines". This document amplifies the voices of survivors, serving as a vital tool for advocacy, education, and legal reform.
Latest Field Updates
Empowering Local Actors
Our capacity building initiatives in West Africa have reached critical milestones this year. We have conducted intensive workshops involving over 200 local authorities, police officers, and social workers. These sessions focus on the nuanced interpretation of anti-FGM laws, ensuring that enforcement is both firm and sensitive to cultural contexts. Participants were equipped with practical toolkits for early identification of at-risk girls and trained on victim-centered interview techniques. By strengthening the institutional knowledge of these frontline defenders, we are creating a robust safety net that actively prevents harmful practices before they occur, rather than simply reacting to tragedies after the fact.
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Strengthening Justice
Access to justice remains a cornerstone of our strategy. In partnership with the Association of Women Lawyers, we have established mobile legal clinics in rural areas where FGM prevalence is highest. These clinics provide free legal representation to survivors seeking redress and protection orders. Furthermore, we have facilitated high-level dialogues between judges and prosecutors to close loopholes in current legislation. This collaborative effort has led to an increase in successful prosecutions, sending a powerful message of deterrence. We are not just advocating for laws on paper; we are ensuring that the courtroom becomes a true sanctuary for women and girls seeking protection from gender-based violence.
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Dialogues with Leaders
True change happens when communities own the solution. Our recent series of intergenerational dialogues brought together village elders, religious leaders, and youth activists in a safe space to discuss the future of their traditions. Through respectful but firm debate, we are witnessing a historic shift: traditional leaders are beginning to publicly decouple the cultural rite of initiation from the physical act of cutting. Several communities have now signed public declarations of abandonment, replacing FGM with alternative rites of passage that celebrate womanhood without inflicting harm. This grassroots consensus is the most sustainable form of protection we can offer to the next generation of girls.
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Action in Images
A picture is worth a thousand words, and our latest gallery captures the vibrant, undeniable energy of the anti-FGM movement in Benin and beyond. These images document the courage of survivors speaking out for the first time, the solidarity of women's groups marching in colorful fabrics through village squares, and the intense concentration of participants during our educational workshops. You will see moments of joy, determination, and profound connection. These visual stories serve as vital evidence of our impact, humanizing the statistics and showing the faces of the real women and men who are working tirelessly every single day to build a safer future.
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Mobilizing the Next Gen
The youth are not just the future; they are the present leaders of this movement. Our university and high school clubs have exploded in popularity, creating a safe peer-to-peer network for education and support. Young activists are using social media, theater, and slam poetry to challenge archaic norms that their parents' generation often accepted without question. They are organizing "End FGM" flash mobs and engaging in respectful but transformative dialogues with their own family members. By equipping these young leaders with accurate information and advocacy skills, we are ensuring that the rejection of FGM becomes the new normal for the next generation of parents.
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Regional Policy Advocacy
FGM is a cross-border issue that requires cross-border solutions. Families often cross into neighboring countries to evade local laws, a practice known as cross-border FGM. RFLD is leading the charge to harmonize legislation across the ECOWAS region. We have convened high-level meetings with parliamentarians from Benin, Togo, and Nigeria to create a unified legal front. Our goal is to ensure that a crime committed in one country can be prosecuted in another, closing the geographic loopholes that perpetrators exploit. Through our observer status at the ACHPR, we continue to push for binding regional resolutions that hold all member states accountable for the safety and bodily integrity of their female citizens.
View PostRFLD Podcasts
Documenting the fight, sharing the stories.
Role of State & Legal Actors
In this crucial episode, we explore how legal frameworks and state institutions can reinforce the fight against FGM in Benin.
Regional Work & Advocacy
West African Advocacy & ACHPR Status
We conduct regional activities to eradicate FGM. In collaboration with partner NGOs, we have advocated for the Government of The Gambia to uphold laws prohibiting FGM.
RFLD holds Observer Status with the ACHPR. As a member of the ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders, we use this platform to mobilize local organizations to engage directly with Special Rapporteurs and regional bodies.
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