Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting has a long history in Sierra Leone, where it is regarded as a passage rite to womanhood. In estimation 86% of girls/ women went through Female Genital Mutilation /Cutting (FGM/C) in Sierra Leone in 2017. The FGM/C procedure itself causes pain, and complications such as uncontrolled bleeding or septicaemia may be fatal. FGM/C changes life of women permanently and can cause mental trauma in addition to physical harm. It is also a human rights violence. There is a need to eradicate this harmful practice and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is looking to find a safer alternativity for this tradition.

In this qualitative study, focus group interviews were conducted with a semi-structured interview guide to find answers to the research questions: 1) What is the level of knowledge among the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society volunteers about FGM/C and 2) What can be used as an alternative rite as a passage to womanhood in Sierra Leone instead of FGM/ C. The focus group interviews were conducted among ten Sierra Leone Red Cross Society volunteers in May 2019.

The results of this study revealed that the attitude towards FGM/C is changing. The destructiveness of the old tradition is acknowledged, and all the interviewees wanted to abandon this practice. The results show that the main reasons for upholding the tradition of FGM/C are old beliefs and traditions. FGM/C also provides an important income for the traditional cutters, aka soweis. Therefore, the most effective means to eradicate the practice are to find an alternative rite for transition to womanhood and to create another livelihood for the cutters. At the same time the study finds that it is important to increase public awareness in the communities and to intensify cooperation between authorities and law enforcement.