RH Reality Check Highlights Tostan's Respectful Approach to FGC

RH Reality Check, an online community and publication site dedicated to promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights, recently highlighted Tostan's successful grassroots approach to promoting the abandonment of female genital cutting (FGC). The article drew attention to Tostan's subtle but important use of nonjudgmental language in discussing FGC as a means to respecting a community's agency to affect social change as well as the role the media can play in supporting such efforts. Read an excerpt from the article below or read the original full article at RH Reality Check's website here. 

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"A Moratorium on Mutilation: Community Organizations Find Their Own Path To Ending a Dangerous Practice" 

by Jessica Mack at RH Reality Check 

Yesterday was International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a UN-sponsored day dedicated to raising awareness of the thousands year-old practice whereby a girl or woman’s genitals are cut. The WHO estimates that about 140 million women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of FGM. It’s considered by many to be harmful to a woman’s health and rights, as consent is rarely involved and the procedure is rarely done in hygienic settings.

The practice is often described in the most cringe-worthy and heart string-pulling ways (think legs tied down, shards of glass cutting at a young girl’s genitals, for example) and has roots that are centuries old and spread round the world. The act is not religiously based – though it’s often (mistakenly) attributed to or equated with Islam – but rather based in historical cultural concepts of women’s worth and value.

Continue reading the full article here.

"Change From Within": article by Molly Melching published in Population Connection’s The Reporter

Gambian youth vocalize their stance on child/forced marriage
 during an awareness raising march through
Basse, The Gambia in October 2011.

Youth from across The Gambia were recognized for their efforts to lead social change in a feature article published in the February edition of Population Connection’s The Reporter. The article entitled “Change from Within: Youth Leading Movement for the Abandonment of Child Marriage in The Gambia,” was written by Tostan Founder and Executive Director Molly Melching and spotlighted the energy and success of the third annual Tostan Gambia Youth Caravan. Organized by 170 Gambian youth who participated in Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP), the caravan gave teens the opportunity to share their belief in the importance of human rights with their social networks and to convey the responsibility each person has to advocate for positive, community-led change. 

To read the full article in the February edition of The Reporter on Population Connection’s website, click here.

February 6: Tostan Celebrates International FGC Abandonment Day

In eight countries where female genital cutting (FGC) is commonly practiced, Tostan partners with communities to implement an empowering human rights-based education program that has resulted in over 5,000 communities having declared abandonment of FGC. Senegal is on track for complete FGC abandonment by 2015 and the movement has taken root in seven additional countries. 

This February 6th, join with the communities who have abandoned female genital cutting and share the story of their success with your friends and family.
  
To read and share stories of success, click the links below.
  
New York Times: Senegal Curbs Bloody Rite for Girls and Women

The Independent: Victory in sight for revolution over female genital mutilation        
FIGO: Eradication of female genital mutilation "a matter of resources"

Tostan ranked as one of the Top 100 NGOs by The Global Journal

Released in their January-February 2012 issue, The Global Journal ranks Tostan as #41 on their list of the top 100 leading actors in the nonprofit world. This list serves to spark discussion and highlight the innovative efforts of organizations working to positively impact the lives of others. 

To see the feature of Tostan in The Global Journal, click here.

To view the full list of The Global Journal's Top 100 Best NGOs, click here.

For more information about the list, click here.