It still happens that someone asks us: „FGM in the Middle East? Isn’t that an African practice?” But it doesn’t happen all the time anymore like it did when we started in 2013. This was the first aim of our campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM) in the Middle East & Asia: To get the message out that FGM exists in many countries in the Middle East and Asia.
Putting FGM in Asia on the Map
UNICEF has recognized FGM as a problem beyond Africa in February 2016. Most media reports on female genital mutilation (FGM) today state that it exists also in the Middle East and Asia. Non-governmental organizations working on FGM and the United Nations have changed their maps and reports. Yet, we are still waiting for the UN to follow up on their plan to include questions about FGM in regular domestic household surveys or MICS (multiple indicator cluster survey).
Connecting activists and researchers
Bringing activists together was our second goal. We succeeded in forming a network of activists, researchers and physicians from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Today there is a sustainable Asia Network with regular regional meeting. Our next step is forming a Middle Eastern Network in the same manner.
Collecting Data
A starting point for any campaign is generating data. Our experience has been that only scientific proof of the prevalence of FGM can move decision makers to recognize the problem and support campaigns. In some cases activists may even be attacked for slandering a country’s good reputation if they address the issue only based on anecdotal evidence. Therefore, we have created a survey tool-kit to help individuals and groups create their own small-scale surveys on FGM. We also have a large research collection and welcome if people point out to us if we are missing a study.
Engaging Religious Leaders
One of the campaign’s focal points since the start has been religion. While FGM is not related to religion everywhere, all evidence in Asia points to a strong connection between Islam and FGM.
We realized early on that it is essential for any campaign against FGM to discuss religion and to find religious leaders who correct the assumption of FGM as an Islamic duty or recommended practice. Therefore, we collect Fatwas against FGM.
Our campaign is currently relying on private donations only. Please make a contribution (keyword: Stop FGM Mideast) at Donate
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