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The Media Fight against FGM in Somalia where 98% of girls are cut

By Mohamed Abukar Mada, Somali National TV journalist.

On the day of the African Child 16 June, Somali National TV broadcasted a program about FGM in Somalia.

The programme: 

 The programme was attended by Adar Ali Mohamed, the Director of the Department of Children and Family Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Women and Human Rights, Sheikh Ali Wajiis, a prominent Somali religious scholar, Drs Shamsa and Ifrah Ahmed, FGM activist. The guests are very popular in the community and that is why I invited them all to the programme.

Somali-speaking communities around the world can access to watch the Somali National TV which is based in Mogadishu. And my program on African Child Day was watched around the world.

Organizing the program took me a lot of time but finally, the program became successful.

The impact of FGM on Somali girls cannot be overstated

Adar Ali Mohamed

Adar Ali Mohamed is the Director of the Department of Children and Family Affairs in the Federal Ministry of Women and Human Rights.

FGM is not only a catastrophic abuse of human rights it has also many other problems that affect the whole country.

Women and girls living with FGM face serious risks to their health and well-being. These include immediate consequences after being cut, such as infections, bleeding or psychological trauma, as well as chronic health conditions that can occur throughout life, said Drs Shamsa who attended the program.

Therefore, on African Child day the attendees call on the Government to revive efforts for passage of the FGM Bill which has been stuck in the legislative process for several years. 

According to UNICEF, Somalia has the highest cases of FGM/C in the world with 98% of girls undergoing it between the ages of 5 and 11. The extreme act of violence is still legal in the country.

YouTube link .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVmZHzrp5H0 

Ruth Harley

Ruth Harley is working with GMC as a Website News Editor, compiling stories written by End FGM campaigners working with the Global Media Campaign to End FGM across Africa. Alongside this work, she is running The Women’s Vinyl Project which empowers women and girls through singing and music and is helping to end FGM.