Open to educated women from Sudan, the association's early aims were to set up welfare and education programmes for women in the White Nile and Red Sea states, and to end female genital mutilation, which has a high prevalence in Sudan.
[4] In 1981, BBSAWS held a three-day workshop in Khartoum, "Female Circumcision Mutilates and Endangers Women – Combat it!
", at the end of which 150 academics and activists signed a pledge to fight FGM: Whereas, we have closely studied the impact of female circumcision and its harmful effects and heard the viewpoint of religious leaders, medical and psychosocial professionals, We the participants in the workshop, "Female Circumcision Mutilates and Endangers Women – Combat it!"
organized by the Babiker Badri Scientific Association for Women's Studies, held in Khartoum from 8 to 10 March 1981, agree to fight this harmful tradition, which mutilates the appearance of what God has created and harms women both physically and mentally, thus putting their lives in danger.
By unequivoally renouncing the practice of female circumcision, we commit ourselves to employ all the intellectual and physical resources available to us to fight this harmful tradition.