UN Women statement for the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM
International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation
Time to unite, fund and act to end female genital mutilation
Date:
Saturday, February 6, 2021
For 35 years, Yatta Fahnbulleh earned a living in north-western Liberia by initiating girls into adulthood through rituals that included female genital mutilation (FGM) – a practice that violates girls’ bodies and their human rights. She is one of many FGM practitioners who wanted to stop but who could not find an alternative way to support herself and her family. Now she is a caterer, trained along with some 300 other traditional FGM practitioners through the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, who are equipped to earn an income from alternative sources such as climate-smart agriculture, making soap, or tailoring.