Growing up in my community, I learnt to catcall women. Sometimes, adult men would send me to tell off women who ignored their advances or refused to obey their instructions. I remember thinking how strange it was to learn that at such an age. However, transitioning from primary to junior school I learnt more about masculinity and expectations on young adolescents
What do men think about FGM? It is sometimes assumed that men benefit from FGM…
Female genital mutilation affects girls’ and women’s health and well-being. Unlike other types of gender-based violence, which are most often perpetuated by men, FGM is often performed by women in the family and/or community. Therefore, in the first programmes addressing FGM men were often sidelined.
On February 6th 2021, International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, AIDOS launched the animated video “Dynamics of a social norm: Female Genital Mutilation”. It is part of a series of videos aiming to understand why communities continue to perpetrate FGM, under what circumstances this practice continues to exist.
Good practices from the field During the stakeholder dialogue, experts identified a series of good…
Key recommendations After having identified the challenges they face, the participants in the Virtual International…
Challenges faced by actors during crises Participants of the stakeholder dialogue on Female Genital Mutilation…
Emergencies increase the risk of FGM During the 2020 stakeholder dialogue on Female Genital Mutilation…
The very existence of the law produces effects that go beyond the mere application of sanctions and the prosecution of those practising FGM. It serves as a deterrent and therefore protects girls at risk of undergoing FGM both from the practice itself and - in some cases - from the stigma associated with not being excised.
Maryam Sheikh shared her personal experience to highlight the dilemma faced by parents who want to both protect their daughters from FGC and to ensure their belonging and integration into the community. In addition, the girls themselves may ask to undergo FGM in order to be like other girls in their community.