KENEMA — Health professionals, survivors, activists, and politicians sent a letter to the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development on 10 June, requesting clarification from Sierra Leone First Lady Fatima Maada Bio regarding her statements on female genital mutilation. More than 20 individuals signed the letter, including former Sierra Leone minister of gender and children's affairs Amy Smythe and U.N. expert Isha Dyfan.

Maada Bio responded that her previous comments were taken out of context. She stated that her intent was to encourage dialogue and reassure marginalized women. Maada Bio said she is not campaigning in favor of or against circumcision, stating, "I am not in favour of any form of circumcision that is forced upon an individual." She expects to see reliable data demonstrating the extent of harm caused by female genital mutilation in the country.

Ranya Kargbo, a senior U.N. professional and survivor of female genital mutilation, signed the open letter. Kargbo said, "When [Bio] said to the soweis [the cutters], not to be afraid of anything and that she stands with them, those were powerful words from the highest office in Sierra Leone. When somebody says that, it means 'I have all the resources and support, do what you want'. It is an absolute slap in the face for all of us."

Female genital mutilation in Sierra Leone is performed by women known as sowei as part of initiation rituals into the Bondo and Sande societies. A national survey indicated that the proportion of women subjected to female genital mutilation decreased from 90% in 2013 to 83% in 2019. The country does not have a law criminalizing female genital mutilation.

Maada Bio leads a campaign called "Hands off our girls" in Sierra Leone. She reportedly posted an article titled "Harms of the current global anti-FGM campaign" which was published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, on her Facebook page. Maada Bio also named U.K. government adviser Nimco Ali and Sierra Leone activist Anita Koroma in a Facebook post, stating they do nothing for the country. She referred to those campaigners as "scammers" in another Facebook post, clarifying that her criticism was directed at individuals who misrepresented her position and created narratives that did not reflect her views.

The Economic Community of West African States court of justice previously ruled that female genital mutilation meets the threshold for torture and ordered Sierra Leone to criminalize the practice. President Julius Maada Bio, her husband, became chair of ECOWAS shortly after that court ruling. The president signed the Child Rights Act 2025 into law in October of the previous year; this act does not contain provisions addressing female genital mutilation.