with Ade and Abena
fgm
This is a child-friendly adaptation of a Report by UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation: Delivering the Global Promise to End FGM by 2030.
“Once upon a time, in a world full of progress and amazing inventions, there was a silent crisis affecting many girls and women, especially children.”
It was called Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
“FGM is like a journey that goes from really old traditions to a modern fight for human rights. It’s where culture clashes with caring, and the challenge is to break free from the old chains that have been around for centuries.”
Picture this :Over 200 million girls and women in the world have experienced FGM. which also means that
FGM stands for Female Genital Mutilation. It is a harmful practice that involves removing or injuring female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It’s a violation of rights and has serious health consequences.
YES! But guess what? There’s a superhero team called the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme, and they are on a mission to end FGM by 2030
Well, UNFPA and UNICEF have a programme that works to fight female genital mutilation in 17 countries. Which are BurkinaFaso, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea,Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Somalia, Uganda and Yemen.
"Poly means many......"
"and Crisis?"
Oh yeah that will be very hard! Do you know what those problems are?
Yes! It’s like having lots of challenges all at once, and it’s making it harder to stop FGM. Imagine if superheroes had to deal with not just one villain, but very many villains at the same time
"Oh!! Polycrisis means many problems."
So when we bring them together what do you understand by polycrisis?
Yes here are some of them, Because of problems like wars, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic, some families are really struggling to get good food, good health and other things. Which then makes it more likely for girls to go through FGM. When problems like floods or hurricanes happen, people who usually plan to help people sometimes forget about girls and women who might be at the danger of FGM.
Education is like a big shield against FGM!
So, education is a superpower that all girls need to have!
“Education is a powerful tool that can help stop FGM. When girls and women have just a little education, they are more likely to say no to FGM. And If they have more education, like secondary school or higher, the chances of stopping FGM go up! Just imagine if a girl’s mom went to school, she’s then much less likely to allow her child to undergo FGM. this means.”
Yess!! But here’s the problem, in places where there are big problems, like wars or disasters, more than half of the girls are not in school. This makes them more at danger of going through FGM.
Yes but That is not all, there is also not enough money to fight FGM
What do you mean?
The World Health Organization says that taking care of girls and women who have health problems because of FGM costs a lot around $1.4 billion every year!
The superhero team has a secret weapon a toolkit! – It’s like a magic box that helps stop FGM during emergencies.
The superheroes are also creating a human rights education strategy.
What is that?
It is a plan to teach everyone about why girls and women should be protected from FGM. This plan will make sure that girls and women themselves, along with other superheroes like community members, service providers, and policymakers, stand up for the rights of girls and women to live free from FGM
Did you know that the JOINT GENERAL COMMENT ON
FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION says that children should share their thoughts freely! Children have the right to say what they think about things that affect them. If a child can share their opinion, adults should listen and consider it when making decisions, especially about important things like ending harmful practices.
So, in the big battle against FGM, education is like a shining light, a force that can make things change, and the most important build-ing block for a fair, healthy, and happy future for girls and women all around the world!
Yes! And in our next “Get to Know More, we will get to know more about what the Joint Comment on Female Genital Mutilation is really about.” Until next time.