Female genital cutting used to be one of the most serious problems faced by African women. From a very young age, girls experienced genital cutting at the hands of family members, friends or community leaders. Female genital cutting utilized harsh methods by fooling girls into thinking that this was the way to celebrate their womanhood. Many girls experienced a wide range of health and emotional problems because of this. If one girl didn’t want to be cut,or if her parents didn’t want her to be cut, they were punished by the community or by their families. Many of the girls who weren’t cut, were punished, physically abused, and even killed on certain occasions.
Today progress is being made to eliminate this problem. In countries like Senegal, the work of NGO’s and international organizations has helped reduce female genital cutting. NGO’s like The Orchid Project, are doing excellent work in reducing this problem by using strategies such as advocating with community members for reducing cutting, working with partners who are implementing community-led programs for reducing this activity, and communicating the success of this program. Thanks to the work implemented by organizations such as The Orchid Project, more than 5,000 communities in Senegal have abandoned the practice.
Creative Commons Love: Roland Urbanek on Flickr.com
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