In a stirring ceremony that lit up London’s Natural History Museum on Saturday evening, Gambian activist Fatou Baldeh, a survivor of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C), received the prestigious 2025 Albie Award from the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ). The accolade celebrates her unyielding crusade against the harmful practice, which scars an estimated 230 million women and girls worldwide, and her pivotal role in safeguarding The Gambia’s landmark ban on FGM/C.
Baldeh, founder of the Banjul-based Women in Liberation and Leadership (WILL), stood tall among global human rights luminaries as she accepted the award, marking the debut of The Albies—the CFJ’s annual gala—in the British capital. “I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Clooney Foundation for Justice not only for this incredible recognition, but for their steadfast dedication to defending the rights of the vulnerable around the world,” Baldeh said in her acceptance speech. “This award is more than a personal honor; it stands as a tribute to the countless girls and women whose voices demand to be heard, and whose rights must be protected.”
The 42-year-old activist’s journey is one of raw resilience. Having endured FGM/C herself as a child—a ritual rooted in outdated gender norms that causes lifelong physical and psychological trauma—Baldeh channeled her pain into purpose. In 2017, she launched WILL to empower survivors, provide safe spaces for education, and lobby for policy reforms.
Her crowning victory came in 2024, when she mobilized a fierce coalition of activists, lawmakers, and international allies to thwart a parliamentary push to repeal The Gambia’s 2015 FGM ban. That law, one of Africa’s strongest, had been under siege from conservative forces, but Baldeh’s advocacy ensured its survival, averting a devastating rollback for thousands of Gambian girls.
“This award is for every girl and woman silenced by FGM and for the brave souls fighting for justice, dignity, and change,” Baldeh added, her words echoing through the museum’s grand halls. Grateful and inspired by her fellow honorees, she emphasized the shared fight: “Honored by the Clooney Foundation for Justice… This is a celebration of courage that knows no borders.”
The Albies, launched in 2022 by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and actor George Clooney, draw their name from South African anti-apartheid icon Justice Albie Sachs, whose own sacrifices symbolize the cost of justice. The foundation, which delivers pro bono legal aid in over 40 countries, spotlights defenders of free speech and women’s rights. “At The Albies, the sacrifices and courageous commitments to justice and human rights take center stage,” the Clooneys said in a joint statement.
“This is a celebration of the individuals whose lives and careers have come to embody those values that form the cornerstone of our foundation’s global work.”
Baldeh shared the spotlight with an elite cadre of 2025 honorees, each embodying the event’s ethos of bold defiance. Guatemalan journalist Jose Rubén Zamora, who endured exile and imprisonment for exposing corruption, was lauded for his fearless reporting. American news editor Marty Baron, the real-life inspiration for the film Spotlight, received praise for revolutionizing investigative journalism at The Washington Post. Philanthropist Melinda French Gates was recognized for her global efforts to advance gender equality, while Ford Foundation President Darren Walker received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his transformative philanthropy spanning decades.
The evening, attended by dignitaries, celebrities, and advocates, blended glamour with gravity—think elegant gowns against dinosaur skeletons, underscoring humanity’s evolution toward equity. For Baldeh, whose work dovetails seamlessly with CFJ’s mission to dismantle gender-based violence, the honor is both validation and fuel.
As confetti fell and applause thundered, The Albies served as more than a pat on the back—it was a clarion call. In a world where 4.3 million girls face FGM risk annually, Baldeh’s story reminds us that one survivor’s voice can shatter centuries of silence. Her win amplifies the urgent need for global solidarity, urging governments, donors, and communities to strengthen bans, fund survivor care, and break the cultural chains that bind women.
