While it exists in many African societies, elsewhere on the continent it is usually confined to specific regions or ethnic groups. In Sierra Leone, as many as 90 percent of women are thought to suffer the practice, making it easy to isolate the few who advocate its abolition as a suspect and foreign-influenced fringe. When a newspaper in the capital, Freetown, launched a series of articles against the custom, it became the target of a hostile protest movement by a group of women sworn to defend the rite. Since then, conservative elements in Sierra Leonean society, mostly led by women, have enjoyed great success drumming up support for genital mutilation, warning against outsiders who seek to impose alien values. No one wants to speak out.
People are afraid of taking unpopular measures.
Ms. Anthony's complaint is echoed by frustrated foreign diplomats. As satisfying as placing a country on an international blacklist might be for some, many Africans who oppose genital mutilation and other traditional rites warn that such a tack would be counterproductive. The more you decide you are going to take something like this on, the more you are going to face resistance. Instead, a dialogue has to be established, and women here have to understand that Sierra Leone is part of a global community and should not be left out. Mrs. Bangura said ending female genital mutilation in her country would require an understanding of some of the rituals that surround it, and even rehabilitating them.