DOKA, Sudan – Like the vast majority of women in Sudan, Haja Aicha underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) as a child. And like many women, she says the procedure was agonizing. But unlike most people, Haja Aicha has decided to do something about it – help end the practice once and for all.
Tomorrow, 6 February, is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, a day to raise awareness of the practice and to work towards its elimination. Worldwide, there are an estimated 100 million to 140 million girls and women who have undergone some form of FGM, and if current trends continue, some 15 million more girls (aged 15-19) will be cut by 2020.
FGM is a human rights violation, and it can cause both immediate and long-term complications, including chronic pain, infections, childbirth complications, infertility and, sometimes, even death. Some 88 per cent of women and girls in Sudan have been subjected to the practice, according to the 2010 Sudan household and demographic survey.
But all this can change when community members – including women and girls – are empowered to take a stand.
Извор: WUNFPA – 05.02.2015
