Trainee FGM ‘cutter’ who fled the Gambia fights renewed risk to girls
Trainee FGM ‘cutter’ who fled the Gambia fights renewed risk to girls The Guardian
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A Woman’s Campaign to Protect Girls at Risk of Female Genital Mutilation in the Gambia
Maimouna Jawo, a woman who bravely refused to be a female genital mutilation (FGM) “cutter” in her community, is launching a campaign to protect tens of thousands of girls who are at renewed risk of female circumcision in her home country, the Gambia.
Jawo, 50, who herself was subjected to FGM, has recently been granted leave to remain in the UK by the Home Office after more than a decade of waiting.
From her attic room in Hounslow, she is launching a campaign on Facebook in Mandinka, the most commonly spoken language in her country, to reach a new generation of girls and raise the alarm about the dangers of FGM.
She is also keen to reach their mothers and fathers and emphasizes that many Gambian men enthusiastically support the practice. The UN Population Fund and Unicef are jointly leading a global programme to speed up the elimination of FGM, which has affected an estimated 230 million girls and women worldwide.
The Impact of FGM on Health
The severe damage that mutilating female genitals causes to psychological and physical health has been widely documented.
Jawo’s Fight Against FGM
While seeking asylum in the UK, Jawo appeared in a BBC documentary over a decade ago, in which the late journalist Sue Lloyd Roberts confronted an imam in the Gambia about false claims he made regarding women’s clitorises.
In 2015, laws were passed in the Gambia to outlaw FGM, partly thanks to the documentary and Jawo’s courageous decision to speak out as a victim and someone who refused to become a cutter.
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