They rushed her to the hospital in Dakar, Senegal. He was less than three years old and was in danger of dying. Thus began the story of Binta, who, like many of her peers, was subjected to female genital mutilation when she was very young.
«If you are not circumcised they judge you as a dirty girl. ‘ Binta has emancipated herself and today works with a collective called Génération Filles, supported by Amref, international organization that on the occasion of the World Day Against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which is celebrated on February 6, rekindles the spotlight on the importance of eradicating this phenomenon to guarantee thousands of girls and future women the emancipation to which they are entitled.
«It is part of our tradition, but it is also a very dangerous practice. I still continue to have problems now. For example, when I have my period, I have constant pain, ”says Binta. In the world I am 200 million women who, like Binta, have suffered the cut. 44 million are girls under the age of 14. A cut that, when it does not condemn them to death, conditions their life forever, as happens in births, often very painful and with the risk of losing their child.
One of the first objectives of Amref is “end the practice by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) », as explained by Paola Magni, Amref Health Africa’s contact for FGM projects. The pandemic that has hit the world in the last year has exposed thousands of girls and boys even more to risks. By not attending school, many of them became more vulnerable.
A recent study conducted by Amref Health Africa, in collaboration with Amref International University, on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on female genital mutilation and early and forced marriages in Kenya, showed a growing number of cases of FGM in the country. “For me, the fight against mutilation has become a mission. My sister underwent female genital mutilation when she was only 12 years old. After a few months, she was given in marriage to a man older than her. I couldn’t do anything for her but have since decided this is my fight. And I want to win it “, tells Ibrahim Ole Kinwaa, who since 2017 has been working on the staff of Amref in Tanzania to combat FGM. He too fears the consequences of Covid-19 on an entire generation of young women.
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