Barnfonden
Support the fight to stop genital mutilation!
Children are our focus and it permeates exactly everything we do. Therefore, genital mutilation is a priority issue for us. Female genital mutilation is an abuse that often results in life-threatening and a violation of children's rights. Usually the girls are 4-11 years old when they are exposed, but it also happens that babies are genitally mutilated. With your help, we can continue our work to stop genital mutilation. The Children's Fund's work against genital mutilation is yielding results The Children's Fund works in several countries to change attitudes towards genital mutilation and other abuse - and we see that it is yielding results. In Siltie in central Ethiopia, where the Children's Fund has worked against female genital mutilation for several years, the proportion of girls with genital mutilation has decreased from 81 to 57 percent. Only five percent of parents now want their daughters to be mutilated, which is a large reduction from the previous figure of 46 percent. Influence local leaders In the Children's Fund's work to change attitudes, the traditional leaders play an important role. They possess both weight and power. In sermons or other contexts when many listen, they highlight the health hazard of genital mutilation. It is important in the long run to ensure that more girls start, continue and finish school. Local school projects The Children's Fund has supported school projects in several countries with widespread genital mutilation. An example is the Senena School in Ethiopia. Here is a youth club for both girls and boys where they talk to adults about genital mutilation and its consequences. The school also works to ensure that students spread the information further in their villages. The slightly older students hold their own meetings in their villages to inform about harmful traditional customs, such as child marriage and genital mutilation. Many girls say that their self-esteem has become stronger and that thanks to increased knowledge they now dare to say no to genital mutilation.