Hadja Idrissa Bah

Hadja Idrissa Bah is a children’s rights and women’s rights activist from Guinea. Born in 1999, Bah founded the Guinea Girl Leaders Club in 2016 to educate young women about the harms of early marriage and to discourage parents from forcing their daughters into marriage at a young age. That same year Hadja was elected president of the Guinean Children’s Parliament at just 17 years old. As president, Bah advocated for children’s rights and focused on fighting against female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM is prevalent in Guinea, with an estimated 97% of Guinean women aged 15-49 having undergone the practice.

In 2019, Bah was selected as one of 57 young French-speaking people worldwide to participate in the LabCitoyen program to discuss women’s rights and equality. The following year, Hadja was invited to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the same issues with other leaders. Bah is the recipient of the Guinean Senate: Women’s Rights Delegation Award.