Alternatives to traditions, that have been around for thousands of years, are not always welcome. For many people, still practicing female circumcision, there is no other way. The video below illustrates a few individuals that are trying to collapse this ritual. In this area of the world (Sierra Leone) an effort to teach such practitioners other skills is underway. Most of these women have not received schooling, let alone formal training of any kind. This servers an opportunity for them to get out of situations that, they themselves may not even agree with. Teaching even such rudimentary skills, will help these practitioners achieve higher standards for not only them but their greater society. When there is no longer anyone willing to perform the ritual then the ritual will struggle to exist.
Another issue briefly mentioned, is the age at which this custom takes place. Although often referred to as initiation, this practice takes place on girls as young as two years of age. At two years old one can hardly call such brutality an initiation into womanhood. While still a very young child, these girls have no concept of what is being done to them or why. They are simply at the mercy of those whom are supposed to protect them. Many have argued that circumcision of females is no different than that of the males. This is purely untrue, as when a male is circumcised he will retain his ability to experience sexual pleasure while a woman may lose part, if not all, of her capacity for pleasure. Certainly, it can be argued, that this is another form of control of the female body. When one takes away the choice of a woman to either partake or denounce a tradition, by performing the ritual at such a young age, it becomes a powerless cycle. By the time they are old enough to understand the implications of such a procedure, it is often too late.