The Girl Generation: Be part of the generation that ends female genital mutilation

The Girl Generation: Together To End FGM celebrates the Africa-led movement to end FGM in one generation. Across the African continent, people are coming together to abandon this violence against women and girls. In ten focal countries, The Girl Generation will support national communications and advocacy campaigns to drive social and behavioural change, starting with Kenya, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

Globally, the programme will strengthen the Africa-led movement by communicating positive stories of change, convening events, initiating media advocacy campaigns and supporting ambassadorship programmes and efforts of African diaspora to help end FGM in their countries of origin. It will also help mobilise increased financial resources to end FGM in one generation.

It is estimated that 30 million more girls are at risk of FGM over the next decade on the African continent alone. After many decades of work, we are at a critical window of opportunity – a ‘tipping point’ where momentum is growing and change can be accelerated. The Africa group at the UN successfully called for a global ban in 2012 and change is already happening in many affected countries.

The Girl Generation combines the expertise of human rights organisations, Equality Now and Forward, Africa’s premier communications company, Ogilvy & Mather Africa, with management and technical oversight by Options Consultancy Services. It is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The programme will run until 2019.

“Having been part of the anti-FGM movement for over thirty years, it is my pleasure to be part of today’s launch of The Girl Generation: Together To End FGM’. This global initiative will use innovative marketing and communications approaches to accelerate an end to this human rights violation – one of the gravest of our time. The good news is that FGM abandonment is increasing on the African continent, but we are at a critical point, where new financial injections are urgently needed. It is vital that we work together to ensure that countries are supported in their efforts to end this extreme form of violence against women and girls in this generation, once and for all”. – Efua Dorkenoo OBE, Programme Director, The Girl Generation

“The Girl Generation builds on the leadership we have seen across Africa to end FGM. The Girl Summit hosted by the UK government and UNICEF showed that there is real momentum to end this practice, benefitting girls across the world, including the UK. This ground-breaking campaign brings a uniting identity to the work that is happening in Africa and communities in the UK. Through the Girl Generation we can end FGM, together.” – Rt Hon Lynne Featherstone MP, UK Minister for International Development.

“My niece is the first girl in our family to be free from FGM. When you break the cycle of abuse once, you break it forever: Save a girl, save a generation. The solution to ending FGM is in empowering girls to be themselves. We are at a point where this is happening but we need to speed things up and get the financial resources to where they are needed.” – Nimco Ali, Girl Ambassador, The Girl Generation.