In 2023, we continued our campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM) by raising awareness among men. As part of such efforts, in May, our local partner organized a two-day symposium for religious leaders in the area. The guest speaker, a scholar of religion, spoke about FGM not being expected within the scope of the Muslim religion, which was followed by open discussion on FGM’s origins and related problems. As part of the program, participants were introduced to the health consequences of FGM, which came across as new information to many. During the two-day event, the topics of child marriage, violence against women, and the importance of sexual wellness were among the topics discussed as well.
Both the head of the Sansfil slum and the mayor of the district expressed their gratitude to our local partner for making this meeting possible, and made suggestions for similar meetings in the future. That’s right, once the genie is released from the bottle of taboos, everything is possible!
We are beyond thankful to all our supporters who have contributed to the execution of our Girls' Connection program so far! We feel that we are achieving a breakthrough in changing people’s perception about FGM in the Sansfil district, and for that reason, we can rightly hope that the children of our organization’s supported girls will never have to face the horrific trauma FGM is.
As the next step in our campaign, we will begin the training of the district's women leaders to help them becoming advocates for the cause themselves.
To be continued…
