By Ibrahim Sesay
Juliana Adama Vandy, a journalist and women’s rights advocate, along with her two daughters, is currently in hiding following escalating threats against their lives. Since July 2025, Juliana Adama Vandy has used her Facebook account to raise public awareness about cyberstalking and a recent break-in at her residence in Freetown. During the incident, a window in her daughter’s room was broken, spare keys were accessed and a valuable backpack was taken.
A female journalist, advocate, and employee of the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, Juliana Adama Vandy has been a vocal campaigner for a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM). As a survivor of the practice, her advocacy intensified after the Government failed to criminalize FGM in the recently passed Child Rights Act. “I have suffered it and thank God I survived. I will not sit by and see other young girls and women go through the same; they might not be as lucky or strong as I am,” Juliana Adama Vandy stated.
Recently, Juliana Adama Vandy was invited by a community-based, women-led organisation, the BECKMA Empowerment Initiative, to speak on harmful traditional and cultural violence, with specific focus on FGM. She delivered a public talk on November 21, 2025, during which she strongly condemned the practice and highlighted its devastating impact on women and girls.
Following her public stance, Juliana Adama Vandy began receiving threats directed at both her and her daughters. Some of the threats reportedly came from individuals identifying themselves as members of the Bondo society, including threats of physical harm to her family. On December 4, 2025, she received disturbing photographs of her residence via Facebook Messenger, accompanied by a message warning that she and her daughters would “disappear” before the end of the year.
Juliana Adama Vandy reported the threats to the Cybersecurity Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department but has expressed concern over what she perceives as a lack of significant progress in the investigation. Fearing for her safety and that of her children, she suspects that her mother, a retired Police Officer and member of the Sowei Council in Sierra Leone, may be connected to the situation. According to Juliana Adama Vandy, alarming information received from a niece in Cyprus suggests that her mother and other members of the Sowei Council may be conspiring against her.
At present, Juliana Adama Vandy and her two daughters are in hiding at an undisclosed location as they attempt to flee for their lives.
