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My personal look back on the year 2011
First of all, I would like to thank all supporters of the Desert Flower Foundation and my Team. In 2011, we received a total of 11.249 emails, more than ever before. Victims of FGM, girls threatened by FGM, but also many many people offering their support and wanting to help contacted us this year.
The Desert [...]
Little awareness on FGM in Pakistan
Medical students in Pakistan learn about the prevalence of FGM in their own country, a practice many of them did not know was practiced around them.
“Recently, we examined a woman who complained of pain in her genital region. We were shocked to see when we examined her that she had suffered some mutilation of her [...]
Women in Puntland (Somalia) fight for a law against FGM
Women’s groups in the Somali town of Galkayo, near the place of birth of Waris Dirie, are lobbying the authorities in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland to enact a law banning female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), a practice that is very widespread throughout Somalia. Lul Madar, head of the Mudug Women’s Development Network, one of the [...]
Kenyan Imams condemn FGM
The organisation of Muslim religious leaders, the Kenya Council of Imams and Ulema (KCIU) have comdemned the practice of female genital mutilation in a statement last week. They rightly claim that FGM violates Islamic teachings, arguing that “There is no authentic or relevant Islamic evidence allowing FGM in all its forms. The practice is harmful [...]
New study underlines devastating effects of FGM on mental health
A recent article in the European Journal of Psychiatry present a study conducted by Jan Ilhan Kizilhan from the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Psychotherapy, Migration and Rehabilitation Study group at the University of Freiburg / Germany on 79 young girls after having undergone female genital mutilation.
The goal was to establish whether FGM has an [...]
Waris Dirie’s report on the One Young World Summit in Zurich, Switzerland
Waris Dirie’s report on the One Young World Summit in Zurich, Switzerland
“Last week, I was invited to attend the ONE Young World summit in Zurich as one of the Councellors to more than 1.200 young activists from 194 countries. The young delegates presented many interesting and impressive projects. I was especially proud to see so [...]
Interview with Waris Dirie in Indian “Society Magazine”
Waris Dirie was interviewed by the largest Indian Magazine, “Society Magazine” earlier this month. Here’s an excerpt from the interview. You can download a scan of the entire article here.
They say 150 million women worldwide have undergone FGM. Is this number growing?
Any number is only an estimation, since it is impossible to “measure” how [...]
A logo for human rights: Over 15.000 designs submitted
A logo for human rights: Over 15.000 designs submitted
The design contest “A logo for Human Rights” has yielded an incredible 15.296 submissions by the end of the application period yesterday. All designs will now be reviewed by the Jury, of which Waris Dirie is also a member. “I am amazed at the number of submissions [...]
Girls from Bristol honoured for their activities against FGM
27 teenage girls from Bristol were honoured by the local Police for their contribution to the fight against female genital mutilation in the UK. The schoolgirls from Bristol, aged between 14 and 17, produced a movie about the practice of FGM in immigrant communities in Bristol. The girls wrote the script, acted in the movie [...]
Waris Dirie supports African Fashion: “This is the type of development aid that really makes sense!”
From July 11 to 17, New Nork will host the African Fashion Week, a multi-day event with the purpose to promote African fashion designs and designers through fashion shows, exhibitions and networking events. The website my weku describes this event as a attempts to give African fashion a platform that encorporates more than the mere [...]
