Gambia - On the 12th of June, 24 community representatives signed a public declaration abandoning FGM in 80 villages in Gambia. UNICEF and the western African NGO TOSTAN work to eliminate FGM in the region. In Gambia, approximately 78 % of all women are victims of FGM. According to the UN Children’s Fund, the persistent practice of FGM is mostlydue to a lack of knowledge about its health implications and risks. UNICEF and TOSTAN use a “organised diffusion model” in the region, targeting a small number of villages intensively and hoping for a “spread of word”.