Women’s rights advocates and health professionals in Mali have mounted a strong backlash against a renewed social media campaign promoting female genital mutilation (FGM), warning that the practice threatens the health and rights of women and girls.
The pro-FGM campaign emerged in August, shortly after a national non-governmental organisation displayed posters in Bamako opposing the practice. Anonymous social media accounts subsequently circulated posters featuring men and the Malian national colours with the message, “In Mali, yes to excision! Let’s protect girls and build their future.”
FGM, which involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia, is widely practised in Mali, often without anaesthesia and with serious health risks.
A 2023 study estimated that FGM contributed to about 44,000 excess deaths annually across 15 African countries, including Mali. Survivors may also experience severe pain, bleeding, infections and psychological trauma, as well as chronic pain, urinary and menstrual complications and increased risks during childbirth.
Despite decades of advocacy by Malian women’s rights activists, FGM remains outside the country’s criminal law. Mali’s 2024 Penal Code condemns violence generally but does not specifically prohibit the practice.
The country’s latest Demographic and Health Survey found that 89 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 had undergone FGM. Among girls aged zero to 14, prevalence stood at 70 per cent, down from 74 per cent in 2018, suggesting a gradual decline.
However, advocates warn that the progress remains fragile, with supporters often defending FGM as a religious obligation or cultural tradition.
The campaign has also framed opposition to FGM as a foreign agenda, a position rejected by women’s rights groups who point to Mali’s long history of home-grown resistance to the practice.
Some activists have linked the online campaign to artificial intelligence-generated posters designed to create an impression of widespread support. Some men whose images appeared in the campaign have reportedly denied authorising their use.
On August 26, Mali’s National Human Rights Commission called on authorities to criminalise FGM.
Women’s rights groups are also urging religious and traditional leaders to challenge misconceptions about the practice and work with health professionals to protect girls from its harmful consequences.
