My background:
My name is Haja Bilkisu Conteh, I am female and 29 years old. I was born in Sierra Leone and because of the civil war that took place from 1991 to 2002, I came to Germany at the age of five with my mother and brother. Since then, I have been to Sierra Leone a few times to visit the family.
In recent years, I have become more and more concerned with my homeland: With the positive, but also with the negative aspects. One topic that has always been present for me is the issue of genital mutilation. It is known in Sierra Leone as Bondo and is carried out in the Bondo Society, a secret society of women whose entry is only made possible by circumcision. Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates in the world and most of the women and girls in my family are circumcised. I am a victim myself, or rather: A fighter and survivor! In Germany, I had many opportunities to repair the physical damage through surgical interventions. I was also able to seek help for the psychological damage.
Please kindly download the full report on my trip to Sierra Leone