IWW BAME Officer Andrea Gilbert & IWW Women’s Officer Hazel Perry
On International day of Zero Tolerance for Female Mutilation, we recognise how power and choice are determined in the world by sex. Millions of girls are robbed of their childhoods, education, health and aspirations everyday by harmful practices such as forced child marriage, and female mutilation. Beliefs in many communities that cutting the girl increases her marriageability.
Over 200 million girls in 31 countries are believed to have undergone genital mutilation. A small number of studies have shown the number of countries still performing FGM could be up to 90 countries. In 2021 it is estimated that 4.16 million girls and women around the world are at risk of under going genital mutilation. During COVID-19 disruptions, there could be a further 2 million girls at risk by 2030.
FGM is a class issue as well as gender one. It is carried out on women and girls who live in impoverished communities. FGM is performed by doctors, nurses, midwives and healers, using tools such as broken glass, scissors, knives and razor blades, yet serves no positive medical purpose. Therefore, IWW women’s officer calls on this dangerous practise to cease immediately.
More information on FGM here: https://www.desertflowerfoundation.org/en/what-is-fgm.html
The IWW BAME officer in solidarity with the IWW Womens officer and to all the girls and women forced into child marriage and FGM presently or in the past. In a world where women are still falling short of fulfilling their potential and meeting their aspirations. Now is the time for action to be taken to stop this abhorrent practice once and for all.
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2021/2/feature-ending-fgm-is-essential
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/activists-to-follow-learn-more-fgm/