Four million girls and boys are at risk every year especially in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, but according to Amref the problem also exists in our country where it affects 87,600 women between the ages of 15 and 49
On the occasion of the World Day of Zero Tolerance against Female Genital Mutilation which is celebrated on February 6, Amref Health Africa recalls the numbers of a practice still widespread especially in Africa, where it is estimated that the victims of these practices are 91.5 million girls older than 9 years. Within the scope of Sustainable Development Goalsthe global community has set a goal of eradicate the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) by 2030. Although in many countries it is still a distant goal to be reached if the commitment and interventions remain constant, they pay, says Guglielmo Micucci, Director of Amref Italia, who continues. For example, in 2030, the FGM rate in Kenya will be 6%, so it is likely that the country will be able to achieve this goal in 2037. Solutions and processes can only be activated thanks to the participation of communities and the centrality of women, explains Micucci.
Amref in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi and Senegal
The approach of Amref provides actions of empowerment, awareness e community mobilization. In some regions, mutilation identifies the moment in which a girl is ready for marriage, which is why one of Amref’s objectives is to provide the tools for communities to choose to undertake Alternative Rites of Passage (ARP), without any form of cut. what is happening in the county of Kajiado (Kenya) where FGM practices, from 2009 to today, have decreased by 24%, with over 20,000 girls saved. This is thanks to a new ceremony that indicates the passage into adulthood: the night of candlesa solemn rite which ends with the girls involved lighting a candle, an alternative to forms of physical and psychological violence which does not detract from the symbolic value of an established tradition.
FGM in Europe and in Italy
Not only in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, female genital mutilation is a global problem that affects more than one 600 thousand women and girls who live in Europa. In Italia FGM is estimated to affect approximately 87,600 women between the ages of 15 and 49. Information, collaboration and training are the pillars of an effective action plan in the fight against FGM, explains Renata Torrente, project manager in Italy of Amref. Strengthened by our twenty years of experience in combating FGM in Africa in Italy we are working on four very sensitive areas: Lombardy, Lazio, Piedmont and Veneto, continues Torrente. In our country it is essential to encourage dialogue between local services and the Civil Society Organizations/NGOs that deal with the issue. Promote exchanges of experiences and practices, interacting with subjects and movements also of African civil society, following the value of the girl approach designed and implemented by Amref. Female and community empowerment is the key: the active participation of women and diasporic communities, as well as supporting a process of cultural and behavioral change from within, ensures the effectiveness of system interventions, concludes the project manager in Italy of amref .
February 6, 2023 (change February 6, 2023 | 12:25 am)
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