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Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly last week, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made a commitment on gender equality and women’s empowerment.  The commitment by President Sirleaf includes domestic violence and female genital mutilation.  She promised to ensure that the domestic violence bill is passed into law, that female genital mutilation (FGM) is banned and to ensure the participation of women in politics in that West African nation.  According to the report, Sirleaf committed to ensure the complete adherence to the enforcement of the ban on female genital mutilation; that is in light of the 2011 Law on Children which offers protection against all forms of violence, including FGM.

While Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation applauds the Liberian President for the long-awaited announcement against both domestic violence and female genital mutilation, the actual enactment of the ban remains to be seen.  The President makes this announcement in the wake of the end of her tenure.  During her administration, it has been noted that the President has been soft on the practice of female genital mutilation.

With the strong hold on the practice of FGM by the Sande Society in that country, it is not surprising that anti-FGM Liberians are pessimistic over their President’s recent announcement.  Many countries on the continent of Africa have banned the practice of FGM, yet most of those countries continue to battle the practice.  Egypt was the first country on that continent to ban the practice, but a thirteen year old girl lost her life last year to FGM in that country.  Banning or outlawing the practice only puts the law on the books in a country; it does not guarantee eradication.

The most important factor is the enforcement of the law against this practice.  Will the Liberian law authorities be able to enforce the law and bring perpetrators to justice?  Many of the Liberian lawmakers are bonafide members of the Poro and Sande Societies.  The Poro Society is the male version of the female Sande; the Sande Bush schools lead the practice of female genital mutilation in Liberia.

According to the reports, the Liberian President also promised to collaborate with the Liberian Legislature to pass the proposed Domestic Violence Act into law, which was endorsed by the Liberian Cabinet in June this year.  It is currently before the lawmakers for enactment.  The Bill defines Domestic Violence (DV) pursuant to Article 2 of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (VAW).                   

It is not so often that a book is published about female genital mutilation.  In fact, there are not enough books on the topic.  It is with pleasure that Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation introduces to our readers a new book on female genital mutilation, written by Hilary Burrage.

The book, Eradicating Female Genital Mutilation: A U.K. Perspective (Ashgate, 2015) details the situation which not only the U.K. currently faces but other Western nations as well.  The author pens her understanding on how female genital mutilation (FGM) became so prevalent in modern Western nations in recent years.

In twelve chapters, the author outlines the consequences of FGM, which are carried out from one generation to another.  She stresses the obstetric problems women encounter after they have undergone female genital mutilation.  She indicates that with health risks and problems, the children of survivors of FGM (both boys and girls) either die or live marred lives due to their difficult entries into the world.  Burrage states, “It is sometimes lethal and often permanently damaging, both physically and psychologically.”

The author solicits statements, interviews and comments from FGM survivors, friends and colleagues of survivors, activists and advocates against female genital mutilation.  This book is recommended as a handbook, an educational piece and a reference source.  It makes for a great read.  The book is available in paperback, hardcover and e-book.

The author, Hilary Burrage is a freelance Sociologist and Community Activist.  She has been a Senior Lecturer in Health and Social care and a University Research Associate in Community Health.  She is also a Non-Executive Director of Merseyside NHS Ambulance & Trust, and a Trustee of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.  She is also a Correspondent with the Guardian.

We need your signature to meet our goal.  To sign the petition, please click the link below and watch the video:

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If you have questions or comments about the campaign prior to signing the petition, please contact us at info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org.

If you are interested in becoming an ambassador for GWPF, send us an email with your brief bio to info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org or call us with questions 1.703.818.3787.

As part of GWPF’s campaign to educate the American public on the practice of FGM, the organization believes that having a representative in each state is a key factor in helping to raise awareness throughout the U.S.

The requirements to being an ambassador for GWPF are as follows:

• Have basic general knowledge of the practice of female genital mutilation
• Be able to speak to an audience about the practice
• Be able to represent GWPF at an “End FGM Social” in your state
• Come up with new ideas to raise awareness about the practice of FGM in your state
• Help promote GWPF’s programs in your state
• Already have a connection with a university in your state or can establish a connection
• You do not have to be a survivor or at-risk girl to be an ambassador

In Virginia, we are located at 901 South Highland Street, Suite 319, Arlington, Virginia 22204 and in Washington we are at 3920 Alton Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20016.  The hours of operation at the Arlington location are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 10:00am until 3:00pm for appointments and at the Washington, D.C. location, only Wednesday and Saturday 10:00am until 12:30pm.  All appointments and information are held confidential.

Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation will host their first End FGM Social tomorrow at the George Mason University Arlington campus, from 3:00pm until 6:00pm.  The location of the Social is in Founders Hall, Room 111.  The Social will consist of refreshments and a panel discussion, moderated by a graduate student at George Mason, Ms. Meskerem Damtew.

Following the discussion, Ms. Damtew will open the floor to the audience in a Question & Answer (Q&A) between the panelists and the audience.  Majority of the audience is expected to comprise of the student body of the Graduate School of George Mason University.  Also expected to attend the End FGM Social is the President of the Guinean Women Association of Washington, D.C.

The purpose of holding an End FGM Social is to help raise awareness about female genital mutilation, and educate the community on FGM.  The Social is part of the campaign against FGM in the U.S.  “It is important that we hold the kick-off of our Social at the campus of a leading university in this area”, a board member of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation said.  “Reaching the public at university level is a key component of spreading the word about this awful practice.”

The scheduled panelists are the President and Founder of Inter-Africa Committee-USA, Mrs. Fatoumata Kande-Kouyate, the President of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, Angela Peabody, the Medical Advisor of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, Dr. Chelsia Bhatti and the Media Advisor of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, Ms. Arielle Buchmann.  With a panel of this nature and their knowledge of female genital mutilation, the audience will leave this first End FGM Social with much needed information about the practice of FGM.  Check out next week’s newsletter for the details of the result of the Social.

Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.  As such, your contributions are tax deductible to the maximum extent required by law. 

Slightly larger than the U.S. state of Colorado, Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, is a bordered by Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, and Ghana. The country consists of extensive plains, low hills, high savannas, and a desert area in the north.  This country gained its independence from France in 1960, and changed its colonial name from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso.  The capital city is Ouagadougou.

According to a report from the UNCHR, the type of female genital mutilation (FGM) practiced in Burkina Faso is Type II, which is more commonly known as the excision. The excision is deeply rooted in the culture and cuts across class, religion and ethnic groups in this country. It is performed throughout the country, in all, with a few exceptions of the provinces of Burkina Faso.

Type II is the excision (removal) of the clitoris together with part or all of the labia minora (the inner vaginal lips). The age at which a person undergoes this practice depends on a woman’s region and ethnic group in Burkina Faso.

Members of the ethnic group, the Mossi excise their daughters at around age seven. Other ethnic groups usually wait until a woman is ready for marriage, or about to have her first child before she is excised. Others have their baby girls excised at birth.

According to sociocultural beliefs, originally the practice of FGM had a single goal of assuring the fidelity of women in Burkina Faso. It is often connected with the rite of passage to adulthood.  Young girls from the majority Mossi group were traditionally secluded during the cutting and taught about their future duties as young women and mothers. The end of the girls’ seclusion was marked by a village-wide celebration with drinking and dancing.

“In the last few years many more people have reported cases of FGM,” said someone from the SP/CNLPE. “This doesn’t mean that more people are practicing FGM, but that more people are aware of the harm caused by the practice and are reporting these cases. In the past they didn’t speak up because FGM is considered a family matter and there is a sense of family and community solidarity. People were afraid they would be treated as social outcasts if they reported cases.  But recently we’ve had many reports from around the whole country, especially from areas where people never reported this before, where there used to be a code of silence surrounding this issue.”

In recent years, progress has been made in Burkina Faso regarding FGM.  In 1996, Burkina Faso was the third African country to ban the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM).  The First Lady of this country played a vital role in the outlaw of FGM.  She dedicated more than twenty years toward ending the practice in her country.  Statistics show that today, only 9% of people in this West African nation are in favor of the practice of FGM.

In 2014, an organization called Clitoraid together with Dr. Marci Bowers launched the first hospital in Africa to offer the restorative surgery and special OB-GYN services surrounding FGM.   The small hospital located in Bobo Dialasso, Burkina Faso is called Hospital Kamkaso, meaning Pleasure Hospital, and has 17 rooms but it is a great start.  While the restorative surgery in the U.S. costs approximately $1700, at Hospital Kamkaso in Burkina Faso, it only costs $300.

Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.  As such, your contributions are tax deductible to the maximum extent required by law. 

We need your signature to meet our goal.  To sign the petition, please click the link below and watch the video:

Sign Our Petition

If you have questions or comments about the campaign prior to signing the petition, please contact us at info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org.

Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.  As such, your contributions are tax deductible to the maximum extent required by law.