COVID-19 leading to rise in group FGM gatherings in Somalia
Format
Girls in Somalia are being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) in group gatherings as rates of the harmful practice rise because of COVID-19.
Plan International condemns the trend as “worrying” evidence that FGM is increasing as the pandemic forces girls to spend more time at home, placing many at greater risk of gender-based violence.
Sadia Allin, Country Director for Plan International Somalia, said: “We have heard reports of group gatherings where up to 20 girls have been subjected to FGM in places like Abdaal and Dhalocad, in the Sahil region.
UN agencies urge Somalia to pass law prohibiting female genital mutilation practice ANI | Updated: Feb 06, 2021 20:17 IST
Mogadishu [Somalia], February 6 (ANI/Xinhua): Two UN agencies on Saturday called on the Somali government to commit to ending female genital mutilation (FGM) by passing a law that eliminates the practice.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN children s fund (UNICEF) called on the government to revive efforts for passage of the FGM Bill which has been stuck in the legislative process for several years. FGM is a harmful practice that scars girls and women and endangers their health for life depriving them of their rights and denying them the chance to reach their full potential, UNFPA Representative for Somalia Anders Thomsen said in a joint statement issued in Mogadishu to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM.
NIMCO ALI
I was subjected to FGM on holiday and my teacher didn’t care – no more girls should have to suffer the same violence
Comment
6 Feb 2021, 8:00
Updated: 6 Feb 2021, 8:44
I WAS born in Somaliland in East Africa but grew up in the UK. Aged seven, I underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) during a trip to see relatives in Dijbouti, Africa, over the summer holidays.
When I came back to the UK, I told my teacher about the trip, but she told me this “happened to girls like me”.
4
British Somali activist Nimco Ali says more needs to be done to end FGMCredit: Getty Images - Getty
El audio libro Los Mundos de Niara: luz y color frente al tabú de la mutilación genital femenina noticiasdenavarra.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from noticiasdenavarra.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Press Association 2021
People like Samantha have been working from their bedrooms and living rooms helping to plot millions of buildings on previously blank areas of Tanzania (William Boles/PA)
Volunteer mappers in the UK have described their “incredible” and “rewarding” experiences in lockdown helping to fight female genital mutilation (FGM) thousands of miles away in east Africa.
The Crowd2Map project has gained almost 3,000 new mappers since the beginning of March last year, bringing the total number to around 16,000 from across the globe.
Almost a third of the people working from their bedrooms and living rooms helping to plot millions of buildings on previously blank areas of Tanzania on OpenStreetMap are from the UK, said London-based project founder Janet Chapman.