In Mali, an estimated nine out of ten women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). And for years, Sidi Haidara, a father and recognized leader in his community, believed the practice was simply part of life.
Like many people in his community in central Mali, he saw it as a tradition passed down through generations - one that should be preserved.
Today, he walks from village to village with a very different message: No tradition should come at the expense of a girl's health, rights, or future.
His story goes beyond one man's personal transformation. Across parts of West and Central Africa, FGM remains deeply rooted - with Mali having one of the highest rates in the region and no laws that specifically criminalize the practice. Even recently, some men in Mali have launched an all-male pro-FGM campaign on the grounds of protecting tradition.
In places where social norms are deeply entrenched, change often begins with trusted voices from within the community - voices like Haidara's.
How UN Women and partners are shifting mindsets and empowering new anti-FGM advocates in Mali
"I used to believe that this practice was part of our traditions and needed to be preserved", says Haidara.
Nothing suggested that he would one day become one of the people advocating for its abandonment.
His perspective began to change after taking part in training sessions, workshops, and community dialogues organized through the Men and Boys as Agents of Change project, implemented by UN Women with financial support from the Government of Germany.
As he listened to different experiences and learned about the consequences of FGM, he began questioning his beliefs - beliefs he had never challenged before. He also came to understand that lasting change cannot simply be imposed - it grows through dialogue, trust, and community ownership.
"UN Women's trainings - with the support of Germany - transformed my understanding of female genital mutilation. I learned about the physical, psychological, and social consequences that this practice imposes on girls."
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"Today, I regularly organize awareness-raising sessions with families, religious leaders, young people, and women", he explains.
Rather than telling people what to think, he encourages conversations about what it means to protect girls and challenges long-held beliefs through dialogue.
Little by little, those conversations are making a difference. "I can see change: more parents are asking questions, several families are abandoning female genital mutilation, and discussions about protecting girls have become more open."
"I am convinced that protecting girls today means investing in the future of our entire community."
People can change - and so can social norms
Haidara's journey is part of a broader movement taking place across the regions of Mopti and Gao in Mali.
With support from the Government of Germany, UN Women works alongside religious and traditional leaders, women, young people, and men like Haidara who are committed to community-driven initiatives that prevent violence against women and girls and challenge harmful social norms.
To date, 50 community initiatives have been implemented across the two regions, while eight community-dialogue platforms provide spaces for people to discuss girls' rights, their protection, and ways to prevent gender-based violence.
For Haidara, abandoning a harmful practice is about more than leaving a tradition behind. It is about giving girls the opportunity to grow up safely, stay in school, and shape their own futures.
His journey shows that some of the most meaningful changes happen when those who once upheld harmful social norms become the people helping to transform them.
Haidara knows traditions do not change overnight. But every conversation creates an opportunity for reflection. Every family that chooses to protect its daughters helps write a different future from the one that generations before them inherited.
In Mopti and Gao, these conversations are showing that lasting change does not necessarily begin with a new law or policy. More often, it begins when communities themselves decide to imagine a different future for their girls.
FAQs on female genital mutilation (FGM)
Causes, impacts, and how to end it.
