Category Archives: News
Nigerian Senator: FGM “outdated and unnecessary” and contributes to spread of HIV
Nigeria – Senator and former Health Commissioner Iyabo Obasanjo Bello has spoken out against the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) during a national seminar on “Women’s Empowerment, Domestic Violence and Female Circumcision” in Abuja, Nigeria last week.
Obasanjo Bello referred to the practice as “outdated and unnecessary” and pointed out that the reasons for [...]
Human rights activist addresses sexual rights in Indonesia
Former member of the Indonesian Parliament Nursyahbani Katjasungkana has started an initiative to enable a dialogue on sexual rights in her home country Indonesia, were sex and sexuality remains a taboo in the public domain.
Katjasungkana want to promote a movement on sexual rights in Indonesia, arguing that “Sexuality is not only about having sex. [...]
National Geographic to release Desert Flower in the US
The US distributor National Geographic Cinema Ventures has acquired the rights to the movie “Desert Flower“. Lisa Truitt, president of National Geographic Cinema Ventures:
“We are very excited to release Desert Flower. We want to present compelling stories about the world in which we live, and the saga of this beautiful woman, Waris Dirie, and [...]
New information on the death of 13-year-old FGM victim in Egypt
The Cairo-based weekly newspaper Al-Ahram has published another interesting article on the case of 13-year-old Nermine El-Haddad, who died after undergoing FGM in a public hospital in Egypt earlier this month.
The article quotes Health Minister Mushira Khattab, who reported this case to the Prosecutor-General after her Ministry was informed about the death by another [...]
Doctor faces trial after deadly mutilation in Egypt
Cairo: Following the death of a 13-year-old girl as a result of undergoing female genital mutilation the Public Prosecutor referred a physician to the criminal court in the Menufiya region.
The parents of the girl had secretly buried their daughter’s body to avoid prosecution after the girl had died in the aftermath of her mutilation. [...]
Discussion on criminal migrants in France now includes FGM
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has recently sparked a heated discussion with his statements on young criminals with a non-French background in France, threatening to withdraw their French citizenship (or the right to aquire it when turning 18) in the event of violence against state officials. The French minister of interior Brice Hortefeux now brought FGM [...]
The importance of FGM in the fight to reduce maternal mortality in Africa
In the course of its 15th summit, held in Kampala / Uganda from July 19th to July 27th, the African Union has reinforced its commitments to implementing the Maputo Protocol and Plan of Action, which deals with issues related to sexual and reproductive health and women’s rights related to sexual and maternal health. In accordance [...]
United States tighten laws against FGM
Every year during holidays a lot of girls who live in the United States, in Canada and in Europe are brought overseas and mutilated. The public authorities in all these countries know about it. In the United States this is possible although Female Genital Mutilation is banned in the United States since 1996! This [...]
African Union appoints Waris Dirie as Ambassador for Peace and Security in Africa
Waris Dirie was appointed as Ambassador for Peace and Security in Africa by the Chairman of the African Union, Jean Ping, within the context of the Peace & Security Summit of the African Union. 2010 is the year of peace and security in Africa, the 21st of September 2010 is the African Peaceday.
Waris Dirie: [...]
Waris Dirie on the cover of the Magazine “New African Woman”
Waris Dirie is on the cover of the current issue of “New African Woman”. You can read the interview with her here.
“I am so happy about being on the cover of New African Magazine and being able to tell my story and talk about my fight against FGM to such a big audience of African [...]
