TRaix, taboo, unawareness, trauma and healthy community. These are the five very important themes focused by Amref Health Africa Italia and who will be addressed Today, February 6, 2025, during theEvent dedicated to the prevention of female genital mutilations at the European Parliament in Brussels. The event, on the occasion of the World Day against MGFaims to face this plague, which concerns 230 million women in the world (and that puts at risk 4 million new girls Every year), with an inclusive and non -stigmatizing approach, starting from the younger generations.
As more than a thousand words tell, the above video in which they confront each other Awa and Coumba, an ex -cutting grandmother and her nephewmutilated by a child, who today leads “Parliament” youth anti-Mgf.
World Day against female genital mutilations: change starts from young people
The event is an opportunity for strengthen the role of young people in guiding the change within the communities affected by these practices. Which are, of course, communities that live in countries where female genital mutilation is tradition. But also communities from those countries but residing in ours.
«The fight against MGF is not only a battle for the right to health and freedom, but for a profound cultural change», As Roberta Rughetti, deputy director of Amref Italia explains. “Young people are the real protagonists of this revolution: their voice is in the requests of the Y-Act Manifesto, brought to the European Parliament after a path that involved four Italian cities”. Their words are in the videos of the campaign “Let’s give voice to the silence #thevalueofthegirl” of which Marwa, Iqro, Esraa, Gracefield and Grace Atilola are the protagonists.
Awa and Coumba, a former cutter and his nephew, mutilated by a child, who today leads “Parliament” youth anti-Mgf (Amref).
What is meant by female genital mutilations
Female genital mutilation is Partial or total resecation of the external female organs (large lips, small lips, clitoris). Among these practices there is also the infibulation (grade 3 mutilation), or The narrowing of the vaginal orifice. There are many possible consequences, for the body but also for the psyche of those who suffer them.
Due to theinadequacy of sanitary hygienic conditions in which they are made, the MGF are cause of infections and bleeding. But long -term damage can also occur, such as Difficulty in sexual intercourse, difficulty urinating and urinary tract infections. Not only that. Mutilations cause a significant increase in the death during childbirth both for the mother and for the child.
Understanding the damage that these practices can do to the girls who suffer it is the first step to eradicate them. But the challenge is Helping people condemn them without disconneting the values and rituals that are linked to the practice.
From Africa to Italy, a practice spread all over the world
Female genital mutilations are widespread in different parts of the world, with a strong presence in Africa, Asia and in some communities of the diaspora in Europe. United Kingdom (137,000), France (125,000) and Italy are the countries with the largest number of women and girls who have undergone this violence. In Italy, it is estimated that there are 87,600 women who have undergone MGF, while 7,600 minors and 4,600 girls are in danger.
From the African experience was born in Italy The Youth in Action Movement (Y-ACT)a network of 31 young activists with migratory backgrounds which, in a year, has created over 300 actions between Rome, Milan, Turin and Padua. The Y-Act project, co-financed by the European Union (Cerv-Daphne), sees Amref as the leader and as a partner the Associazione Le Réseau, the National Coordination of new Italian generations (Conngi) and the University of Milan Bicocca. This path involved more than 50 adults and leaders of communities, reaching over 1,500 people including citizens, institutions and social workers.
Surviving women, testimonial against female genital mutilations
Amref has been working for years to eliminate MGF in several African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi and Senegal. Only in the last three years, over 500,000 women and girls have benefited from the raising awareness, education and support programs.
There are many The surviving women who have become testimonial for a change from the bottom. Like Sabina Lakara (protagonist of the video above), Young Maasai today activist against the MGF in Kenya. As a child he saw many girls suffering from cutting and then being forced to marry bigger men. Thanks to the meeting with Amref, he decided to oppose. “My father reacted with anger and stopped paying the school. But I resisted». Today, thanks to the education and support of her community, she managed – she herself, firsthand – to save more than 10 girls with a cut and early marriage
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