#DontCutHerShort :
International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM/C
LONDON, UK
On 6th February 2020, at the Everyman Cinema in London, UK, ANOTHER WAY NOW hosted an event to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C).
This was an evening of film, art and debate hosted in association with Orchid Project and Youth for Change, to launch the ‘#DontCutHerShort’ campaign. The campaign aims to end FGM/C in the next ten years, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Alongside the films, we had an expert panel of international activists and artists working internationally to end FGM/C, featuring:
Julia Lalla Maharajh OBE : Panel Moderator - Founder and ambassador of Orchid Project.
Hoda Ali : Originally trained as a nurse, Hoda has been an anti-FGM/C campaigner for 15 years. She is currently working as a community outreach project manager in London.
Katya Berger : Film-maker and art producer, co-creator of ‘One Thousand Voices’ sound installation with artist Owanto, composed of audio testimonies from FGM/C survivors from around the world.
Amos Leuka : Amos co-founded SAFE Maa (Sponsored Arts for Education), who deliver traditional Maasai performances to deliver the motivation and education needed to transition away from FGM/C to an Alternative Rite Of Passage (ARP) which is not harmful, and fulfils the need within the community for a rite of passage
Christine Ghati : Founder of the Safe Engage Foundation, Christine is a Kenyan activist working to end FGM/C in her community and advocate for girls’ education
Harry Phinda, Co-Founder, Youth For Change: Harry campaigns for an end to FGM/C and forced marriage, for which he has received the Queen’s Young Leader Award.
The mixture of media and panel discussion provided the audience with an honest and sensitive explanation of the realities of FGM/C while offering messages of hope. We heard how change to abolish FGM/C has already begun, and how we can all contribute to accelerating this, through supporting the #DontCutHerShort campaign with Orchid Project. We heard from Youth For Change’s Harry Phinda, regarding the role that young people and men have to play in changing attitudes and traditions regarding FGM/C.
This event has exposed our audience to the realities of FGM/C happening in the UK and abroad, and provided real, efficient ways to financially and personally support the campaign to end the practise. We know that organisations such as Orchid Project, Youth for Change, SAFE Maa and Integrate UK are doing excellent work, and we will continue to direct supporters and audiences their way to boost their efforts.
Together, we will all ensure to end FGM/C by 2030, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
In the news…
We had a significant media presence around the event - including a live interview on ITV’s evening news with actor Natalia Tena, and a large social media impression across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. This was a powerful evening, and one of our most memorable events to date.