With your project sponsorship, you can support the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). Your regular donation protects girls and significantly improves their lives.
Thank you.
Together with UNICEF, you can protect girls from FGM.
The situation
Although female genital mutilation (FGM) is internationally recognized as a human rights violation, at least 200 million girls and women worldwide have been subjected to it in 31 countries on three continents. The practice is particularly widespread in Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti, affecting nearly 90 percent of girls. Most girls are less than 12 years old when they are subjected to FGM, with many even below the age of 5. Victims of FGM face devastating consequences.
Lifelong pain
Women who have been subjected to FGM often struggle with physical and psychological symptoms for the rest of their lives. Infections, incontinence and pain during sexual intercourse, as well as complications during childbirth, are among the most common issues suffered. Girls frequently bleed to death or die from infections. Communities have continued the practice for generations, because they believe that those around them expect them to do so. In many countries, girls and women who have not been subjected to FGM are considered impure, jeopardizing the social status of the entire family.
What UNICEF does
UNICEF is committed to ending FGM. Our goal is for entire communities to turn away from FGM and speak out against it publicly, so that girls can grow up healthy and free from violence. To achieve this, we are active on a variety of levels: We work with parents, FGM practitioners, decision-makers and health professionals. We raise their awareness of the problem and work out solutions to protect girls. By educating them about their rights, we encourage girls and women to stand up for them.
UNICEF’s successes
UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein is currently supporting the program to end FGM in Sudan, working in conjunction with the organization Born Saleema. “Saleema” means “unharmed” in Arabic. The program addresses political, socio-cultural and societal levels to encourage people in the country to effect change, with the stated goal of achieving zero tolerance.
These measures lead to change
The complexity of the practice requires a comprehensive approach at multiple levels, spearheaded by programs to overcome social behavioral norms. In collaboration with the organization Born Saleema, UNICEF is focusing on the following measures in Sudan:
- Information and awareness campaigns in schools and the media
- Involvement of religious decision-makers, village elders and mayors
- Education and training of healthcare workers
- Education on children’s rights
- Training of criminal justice system workers to improve prosecution of FGM cases
of all girls worldwide have been subjected to FGM
of 14- to 49-year-old women in Sudan have been subjected to FGM
of girls in Africa are at risk of FGM by the end of 2030
Effective help for just CHF 1 per day
With your help, UNICEF is successfully committed to the fight against FGM. The goal of our work is to persuade the entire population to rethink the practice through careful educational work at all levels.
- Girls who have not been subjected to FGM should be recognized as equals;
- FGM should be perceived as a violation of children’s and human rights;
- legal measures should be taken.
As a project sponsor, you make this work possible. You will receive two sponsorship reports every year, along with a donation receipt and information about UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein’s annual report.
