Dtwo hundred million. This is the number estimated by United Nations of the women and girls in the world who have suffered the brutal practice of female genital mutilation. An inhuman treatment that is seriously detrimental to the fundamental rights of women which, in addition to jeopardizing their possibility of development, hinders the process towards achieving gender equality.
Day against female genital mutilation
There International Day against Female Genital Mutilation which is celebrated today 6 February, serves to forcefully reiterate the unconditional I commit for the elimination of this practice and any other form of physical and psychological violence against girls and young women.
Violation of rights, but it still exists
FGM is recognized internationally as an extreme violation of the rights and integrity of women and girls. Despite this an estimated 68 million girls worldwide risk being subjected to the practice before 2030. In fact, one should not think that this aberrant procedure is widespread only in African and Middle Eastern countries, because unfortunately it is universal. Some people also practice it Countries in Latin America and Asiawithout excluding Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand where immigrant families continue to respect this tradition.
An aberrant practice that of infibulation which still exists and which must be fought (Photo by SIMON MAINA / AFP)
Nice Nailantei Leng’ete, the Maasai woman who saves girls
However, there are those who fight strenuously and in the field against this terrible custom: Nice Nailantei Leng’ete it’s one of them. She is a 33 year old Masai girl who managed to escape infibulation which since 2009 has saved over 20 thousand girls from this barbaric practice. Leng’ete did it and today continues to fight to guarantee the others a better future too. Today she is an operator and ambassador of Amref Health Africa and spokesperson for a very important humanitarian campaign, which has the ambitious goal of abolishing the cruelty of female genital mutilation by 2030.
Every woman has the right to be free
In 2014 they talked about her as who would have changed the future of African women, challenging the social norms of a male-dominated community. The Time in 2018 he proclaimed it one of the 100 most influential people on the planetsymbol of a necessary battle that will change the destiny of hundreds of thousands of young women. Leng’ete she grew up and embraced a mission that she never abandoned again and which was not only that against genital mutilation, but was the greater one of fighting with all her strength, because every woman has the right to be free. A true example of female empowerment.
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