Edna Adan not only trains mid-wives so they can return to their rural environment and provide pre-natal and birthing support, but also teaches them to carry with them the message that genital mutilation of any girl or woman does not serve them.
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Attitudes in Somalia toward a practice that critics decry as torture may be changing, as new data released by the U.N. children's ag...
UPDATED: March 8, 2013, 6:15 p.m. EST Humaiya, a 16-year-old from Bangladesh, hasn't yet worn the traditional wedding rituals such as kohl-painted...
Female genital mutilation has long survived, hidden under the cloak of religious, cultural, and tribal practices, but this week, as we commemorate the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, it is time for every leader to unequivocally stand in opposition to FGM.
FGM is not mandated by law or by religion; it is a cultural practice that has been handed down for generations because of the belief that it will result in chaste and marriageable daughters. Stopping this practice is no easy task. Culture and beliefs are two of the most difficult things to change.
On International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, let's celebrate the activists around the world who are standing up for the safety of girls everywhere. They are fighting -- sometimes at great risk to their own safety -- to end this practice.
FGM is most common in Muslim communities but also occurs in Christian and traditional religious settings. Yet the Bible and the Quran do not call for FGC and theologians discount any religious obligation.
On this International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM, we must stand steadfast in our collective duty to make ending FGM a reality for girls who continue to be at risk.
"There is absolutely nothing in the Qur'an that supports or justifies forced marriage," says Tehmina Kazi, who has a law degree from the London School...
Twenty years ago, the traditional practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) was considered culturally engrained, particularly in Africa. Today, the 'Transport for Female Genital Mutilation' bill passed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, just signed by President Obama
Not every playwright wants their work to start a movement. That's where Eve Ensler differs. Therefore, it is not surprising that Ensler's new theatrical endeavor, Emotional Creature, would take on issues faced by girls across the world.
For the past several years, AMREF has helped girls and women play a larger role in the community, specifically in eliminating female circumcision.
BOSTON (RNS) The one thing that Afrah Farah will tell you about her genital cutting experience is that it happened. She doesn't want to say how old sh...
Resources, leadership and long-term commitments are necessary to close persistent gender gaps and improve the rights and well-being of millions of girls around the world.
Is misogyny prevalent and gaining traction in the Muslim world and why did most women vote for Islamists in Middle East elections?
United Nations, international and human rights organizations are calling for an end to female genital mutilation and appealing for tougher legislation...
What makes women voluntarily cut open their bodies to permanently implant foreign objects to the potential detriment of their health?
It is clear that femail genital cutting is a social norm in Indonesia as much as in parts of West Africa, where social change programs have enabled communities to abandon the practice. But what is different is the lack of awareness that FGC is an issue.
In order for FGM to be effectively abolished in these societies, it will be necessary for actual members of these societies to reject it, and to do so with conviction, as with any societal "issue."
Are we so complacent that we feel we do not need to demand gender equality? Many women are convinced there is equality between men and women. But this simply is not true. Here are the facts on the matter.
In many Muslim societies, Islamic law deems women inferior to men. A woman's testimony is worth half that of a man, and her independence is restricted by seclusion in the home, laws of guardianship by male kin, polygamy and unilateral divorce.
From the Somali desert to the world's catwalks, Waris Dirie's story is dramatized in the movie Desert Flower, a story which I hope will impel you to take action.
In Sierra Leone, I witnessed hundreds of students in sweltering lecture halls highlight female genital mutilation's consequences. The workshops were a clarion call to end the practice.
How many of those anti-Islam protesters holding "No Sharia Law" signs (as if anyone were advocating shariah law in the U.S.) actually know what the word means? I'd say, oh, none.
Gloria Steinem has stressed the importance of women sharing their personal stories as a way to add their voices to the human record. This was the strength of The Daily Beast's three-day event.
