Category Archives: News
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 [...]
Higher Committee of Fatwa in Kurdistan fails to take clear position
In the context of the recent reports on FGM among Kurdish women in Iraq, it is especially disappointing to see that the recently issued Fatwa on FGM in Kurdistan fails to take a clear position against female genital mutilation.
The Fatwa recapitulates the different opinions on the role and importance of FGM in Islam and [...]
Latest Waris Dirie Foundation Campaign receives award in Berlin
“Stop FGM Now”, the latest campaign of the Waris Dirie Foundation which was developed by the Berlin-based agency Heymann Brandt de Gelmini has been awarded the Franz von Mendelsson Award in Berlin last week.
René Heymann, CEO of Heymann Brandt de Gelmini, who has developed the campaign after meeting Waris Dirie and the team of [...]
Desert Flower sparks public debate on FGM in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa - A week ago, the movie Desert Flower based on Waris Dirie’s bestselling autobiographic novel celebrated its premiere during the International Filmfestival in Addis Ababa.
The movie was received very well by the Ethiopian audience (and, in addition to its success in the cinemas, it is also a bestseller on the black market, [...]
Pictures from the Desert Flower Premiere in Addis / Ethiopia
Addis Ababa - As we already reported last week, Desert Flower celebrated its Africa premiere during the Addis International Film Festival in Addis Ababa / Ethiopia.
Waris Dirie attended the premiere together with her mother, her son, and two of her nephews and nieces.
The movie was received very well in Ethiopia, and Waris was [...]
Waris Dirie organises a common response to FGM discussions in Australia and the USA
A few weeks ago, the news that doctors in the US as well as in Australia are discussing the possibility of performing so-called “ritual nicks” on babies of demanded by the parents aroused much outrage all over the world. Waris commented on these discussions here.
Now, the Waris Dirie Foundation has set up a Waris Dirie [...]
Somali women protesting against FGM in Bristol / UK
A group of women, many of the Somali, have protested against the practice of female genital mutilation in Bristol / UK on wednesday, carrying signposts reading “Say no to FGM” and handing out leaflets.
It is estimated that around 2000 girls from immigrant families are currently at risk of being mutilated in Bristol alone. According [...]
Desert Flower: celebrated premiere in Addis Ababa / Ethiopia
Tuesday night, all of Addis celebrated Waris Dirie: as a part of the Addis Ababa International Film Festival, which started on Monday, the movie “Desert Flower” celebrated its official Africa premiere.
Ethiopian minister of culture and tourism Mohamoud Dirir opened the festival, stressing the importance of “socially responsible” movies in Ethiopia.
The audience honoured Waris Dirie [...]
Human Right Watch issues a report on FGM in Iraqi Kurdistan
The organisation Human Rights Watch issued a detailed report about the prevalence of FGM amongst Kurdish women in Iraq yesterday. Although there are no official statistics on the prevalence of FGM in the Kurdish region of Iraq, studies have estimated that between 40 and 80 percent of the women and girls in Iraqi Kurdistan are [...]
American pediatricians association withdraws controversial policy statement on FGM
Last week, the Americal Academy of Pediatricians issues a policy statement that suggested that doctors should be allowed to perform “clitoral pricking” to avoid mutilation if requested by a girl’s parents in some immigrant communities in the US. The proposal was met with harsh criticism, and was now withdrawn by the Academy.
“Such a proposal is [...]
