Changing the dialogue: Speaking out against female genital mutilation in Indonesia
“There really is no religious postulate for female circumcision, neither from the Al Quran nor from the prophet’s sayings,” said Indonesia’s former First Lady Sinta Nuriyah Wahid’s, as she explained to the attendees of a UNFPA seminar on FGM in Jakarta why none of her four daughters – or six granddaughters – have been subjected to the procedure.
“Never, ever” again – a former circumciser calls for an end to FGM
Asiya Hamed spent much of her life performing female genital mutilation (FGM) on girls in her community. She cannot remember how many girls she has cut, but she knows what the consequences have been.
Young pioneer in Ethiopia defies FGM, finds love
Hawa Buha is a trailblazer in her conservative pastoralist community in norther Ethiopia. First, she refused to undergo female genital mutilation, a choice that left her unmarriageable, according to local traditions. Then, she married for love.
Overcoming fistula: A survivor’s remarkable story
In just one year, the life of 21-year-old Carleta Eugenio Francisco has transformed completely. Before, she was isolated in her community in the Namarroi District, Mozambique, stigmatized for suffering from the effects of obstetric fistula – a hole in the birth canal caused by prolonged, obstructed labour.
How to be a man: Bolivian men and boys work to eliminate gender-based violence
LA PAZ, Bolivia – “Being better men can eradicate abuse," said Marco Antonio Barrero, the mayor of Camargo, a small Andean town in Bolivia. Violence against women – one of the world’s most prevalent human rights violations – is a particularly acute problem in Bolivia. But a programme by UNFPA, local authorities, activists and young people is helping to change minds about the value of women and about what it means to be a man.