International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation
Date 6 February
Next time 6 February 2017 (2017-02-06)
Frequency annual

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation is a UN-sponsored awareness day that takes place February 6 each year.

It is an effort to make the world aware of female genital mutilation (also called FGM) and to promote its eradication.[1] The World Health Organization has said that "Though the practice has persisted for over a thousand years, programmatic evidence suggests that FGM/C can end in one generation."[2]

First, on February 6, 2003, Stella Obasanjo, the First Lady of Nigeria and spokesperson for the Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation, made the official declaration on "Zero Tolerance to FGM" in Africa during a conference organized by the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC).[3] Then the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights adopted this day as an international awareness day.[4]

In 2014, 17-year-old Bristol student Fahma Mohamed created an online petition with Change.org on the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, asking Michael Gove, then the education secretary in the United Kingdom, to write to the leaders of all primary and secondary schools in the United Kingdom, encouraging them to be alert to the dangers of FGM.[5][6][7] The petition attained more than 230,000 supporters and was one of the fastest growing UK petitions on Change.org.[7] Michael Gove met with Fahma Mohamed and members of the youth group Integrate Bristol, who have also played a key role in raising awareness of FGM.[7] He also sent a letter to all headteachers in England informing them of new guidelines on children's safety, including guidance on FGM. These new guidelines marked the first time the safeguarding guidelines included specific mention of FGM and encouraged teachers to be vigilant against it.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Statement on the International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation, UNFPA". Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  2. ↑ "International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation". World Health Organization. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  3. ↑ Bah, Binta (22 February 2012). "Zero Tolerance to FGM Means FGM Should Not Be Tolerated". Daily News. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  4. ↑ Charlotte Feldman-Jacobs. "Commemorating International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation". Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  5. ↑ Topping, Alexandra (28 February 2014). "Fahma Mohamed: the shy campaigner who fought for FGM education". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Female Genital Mutilation Day". Retrieved 5 February 2015
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Michael Gove writes to every school in England". Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2015

External links

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