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Ending FGM and violence against young girls in Ethiopia

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Ending FGM and violence against young girls in Ethiopia

Ethiopia 96 Contributors Launched September 08, 2016 Funding ends:31-12-2016
Project Funded

THE CHALLENGE

“There is no developmental, religious or health reason to cut or mutilate any girl or woman.” – Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General

 

It’s estimated that over 125 million women and girls in Africa and the Middle East have undergone some form of Female Genital Mutilation or Excision, including 23.8 million girls and women in Ethiopia (source Unicef).

 

Excision, also referred to as Female Genital Cutting (FGC) or Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), covers all types of operations including the partial or full removal of women’s external sexual organs or other injuries to women’s sexual organs.

 

In Ethiopia, 74% of women ages 15-49 have undergone some form of FGM and close to 25% of girls under the age of 14 are subjected to the harmful practice.

 

FGM—which is a violation of girls’ and women’s human rights—is severely damaging for girls’ health, causing physical and psychological trauma, and entailing health risks such as pain and bleeding, difficulty passing urine, dangerous infections (including HIV), complications in childbirth, and increased risk of newborn deaths. The practice can sometimes be fatal.

 

Violence against girls and women in Ethiopia is widespread. In 2012, close to 50% of Ethiopian women were victims of violence and it’s estimated that 59% of women have been subjected to sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner (source Oxfam).

 

The solutions we're proposing

W4’s partners, Un Enfant par La Main and ChildFund Ethiopia are working to end the harmful practice of FGM in five villages in the Bassona Worana district in Ethiopia by raising awareness about the dangers of FGM among traditional cutters, students, teachers, and the wider community.

 

The program adopts a holistic approach: raising awareness among all community members about FGM and violence against girls and women, providing training and capacity-building services for schools, local institutions and religious leaders, and also providing traditional cutters with income-generating activity training, enabling the women to create livelihoods that will provide an alternative source of income.

 

The program will provide the following:

 

Awareness-raising and income-generating training for 75 traditional cutters

  • We will work with traditional cutters to raise awareness about the dangers of FGM, also providing them with training opportunities so that they can generate alternative sources of income. The women will receive individual and group support to help them start their new income-generating activities.

 

Awareness-raising, training and services to combat FGM and violence against girls for students (5000 girls and boys) and 164 schoolteachers

 

Young girls in primary and secondary school are subjected to insults, sexual harrassment, requests to go on dates or provide sexual favors in exchange for better grades…

 

  • In order to combat violence against girls, radio messages raising awareness about violence against girls and targeting students will be broadcast every two weeks for 11 months in each school. The messages will include information about a helpline and support services girls can access if they are victims of violence, the measures they can take, and how to respond.
  • Schoolteachers and students in schoolclubs, which are very popular in Ethiopia, will benefit from a training program about combating FGM and violence against girls. Information booklets and codes of conduct – designed by the students – will be distributed in the six schools.

 

Awareness-raising and training for communities and local institutions

 

As violence does not only occur in schools, we need to mobilize entire communities in the fight against gender-based violence, including men and women! The program will also target judicial services, health centers, religious leaders and Idirs which are one of the oldest types of associations in Ethiopia and present in many villages!

 

  • Adapted capacity-building training programs for institutions and community discussion groups will enable communities to break the taboos surrounding violence against women and girls, harmful traditional practices, such as child marriage, son preference and FGM.

THE IMPACT OF GIVING

Your donation will help to protect women and girls!

  • It will help traditional cutters to abandon FGM, thanks to awareness-raising activities and the creation of new income-generating activities;
  • Fewer girls in primary and secondary school will drop out of school or be obliged to repeat their school year, and the program will contribute to reducing gender inequalities in secondary and higher education;
  • The program will increase awareness among parents about gender equality: parents will be encouraged to send their daughters to school and to treat their daughters and sons equally;
  • The program will increase awareness about gender issues among local administrations, Idris, religious institutions, health centers, schools and judicial systems, which leads to improved prevention, detection, and response measures for victims, as well as sanctions for perpetrators;
  • In the short-term, there will be an increase in the reporting of acts of violence against girls, as community awareness improves, and this will help to reduce gender-based violence in the long-run;
  • Victims will have access to adequate medical and psychological care.

WHY FUND US?

 

Today, in many countries, girls continue to be subjected to child marriage, gender-based violence, FGM, sexual slavery, and gender discrimination.

 

Protect girls’ and women’s rights by protecting them against gender-based violence!

 

Act now! Help us end gender-based violence so that women and girls can live in safety and determine their own futures!

Contributors

Clotilde
France

Marie
France

Katia
France

Christiane
France

Micheline
France

Adeline
France

Lindsey
France

Bravo to the Un Enfant Par La Main team!

Isabelle
France

Agnès
France

merci pour votre action et votre engagement.

Jean
France

Donia
France

Anonymous
France

CELINE
Martinique

Anonymous
France

Anonymous
France

Laurence
France

Anonymous
France

Eliane
France

anais
France

cela doit s'arrêter MAINTENANT!!!

Dominique
France

Juan
Bolivia

david
France

Caroline
France

DELETOILE
France

François-Pierre
France

Michel
France

véronique
France

j'ai eu récemment une altercation dans un salon du livre avec l'auteur Joan Sfar qui écrit romans et BD et fait des films. il affirmait l'idée que la circoncision est une mutilation "au même titre que

Anonymous
Belgium

Anne
France

Frederic
India

Francoise
France

Anonymous
France

Muriel
Belgium

Anonymous
France

Camille
France

Anonymous
France

Juliette
France

Anonymous
France

PARTICIPER A METTRE FIN ENFIN AUX VIOLENCES FAÎTES AUX FEMMES DANS LE MONDE

Anonymous
France

Anonymous
France

Maryse
France

Cécile
France

Geneviève
France

Nadia
France

alice
France

l'éducation des jeunes filles est primordiale pour y mettre fin !

Anonymous
France

Sélimata
France

béatrice
Switzerland

essentiel de protéger ces filles! sujet encore trop tabou.

Laurent
France

Marianne
France

Anonymous
France

Johanne
France

Un combat plus que jamais nécessaire ! MERCI POUR TOUT CE QUE VOUS FAITES !

Lisa
France

Qu'importe le montant de son don, le tout c'est d'agir et ne pas ignorer cette atrocité ! Pour l'avenir de ces filles apportez -leur votre soutien !

LAETITIA
France

philippe
France

Carole
France

Alain
France

agnès
France

Anonymous
France

aude
France

Céline
Martinique

Protégeons les filles !

Gilles
France

Alicja
Luxemburg

odile
France

Sandra
France

Patrick
France

michael
France

Aurélie
France

Sophie
France

Bravo ! Ce programme est tellement essentiel!

Anonymous
France

huteau
France

Bernard
France

Anonymous
France

Gita
France

Frédérique
France

Donia
France

Je n'arrive pas à croire qu'à notre époque, il existe encore de telles pratiques !! Merci pour ce très beau projet qui vise à changer les mœurs douteuses et douloureuses...

Florence
France

Chacun de nous à la possibilité de rendre le monde plus juste

estelle
France

Sandrine
France

Anonymous
Luxemburg

Anonymous
France

Maurgane
Belgium

Gilles
France

Frederic
France

Marie
France

Stéphanie
France

Cecilia
Sweden

Anonymous
France

Maxime
France

Arnaud
Luxemburg

Ashley
France

nadia
France

Colette
France

Frédéric
France

mathilde
France

Florence
France

This Project has ended. No more pledges can be made.