*Warning: This is not a post about fluffy bunny rabbits and rainbows
There are some subjects none of us like to think about, because they make us uncomfortable, or more aware of the inhumanity shown by some human beings towards others than we ever wanted to be. But it’s only by talking about those issues, by getting them out into the open, that we can help to bring about change.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a topic that needs to be talked about, highlighted and stopped. It’s usually carried out before a child’s fifth birthday, often without anesthetic, and the child is held down while it takes place. The effects on their health and wellbeing can be catastrophic. In case you haven’t heard of Daughters of Eve, it’s a charity founded by anti-FGM campaigners Leyla Hussein and Nimco Ali to raise awareness and offer support to victims of FGM. A couple of weeks ago they appeared in a C4 documentary about their fight to stop FGM; since then they’ve been bombarded with appalling messages, emails and tweets.
It’s beyond comprehension, really, isn’t it? That two women trying to make the world a better place for young girls and women by speaking out against FGM should be subjected to abusive messages. You can only imagine the mentality of the people who sent them. Anyone who thinks it’s acceptable to mutilate young girls and women in the name of ‘culture’ or ‘religion’, by force, has something very wrong with them.
On Friday a news story broke that a baby had been subjected to FGM. Horrific. FGM must be talked about, it must be stopped, and the Daughters of Eve deserve total respect for what they’re trying to do.