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Revolutionising social norms: The UN Commission on the Status of Women

International Development minister Lindsay Northover reads the UK statement at the UN General Assembly room. Picture: Sheena Ariyapala/DFID

Last week was my first visit to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), an annual event that has been held at the UN since 1946. Over 100 ministers and 8000 civil society advocates attended, with events ranging from …

We cannot end FGM without supporting survivors

Pictures of girls at Samburu Girls Foundation in Kenya

We often associate FGM with the harmful physical effects suffered by more than 125 million women worldwide. There is much less awareness about the psychological effects that can haunt a woman throughout her lifetime. I know from experience that sometimes …

End FGM – using Thunderclap to get the message across

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Digital for Development, Female Genital Mutilation
Zero Tolerance towards Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)

BBC6 Music DJ and broadcaster Lauren Laverne joined thousands in DFID's successful social media "Thunderclap" earlier this month, culminating in a message of zero tolerance to female genital mutilation (FGM) message being sent out to millions of accounts. Around 1200 people …

One billion rise to tackle violence against girls and women on V Day

International Development Minister Lynne Featherstone believes FGM/C can end in a generation if we work together. Picture: DFID

I wanted to take the opportunity of V-Day, a day on which girls and women around the world will rise up to challenge the violence perpetrated on them, to update you on my priorities as Ministerial Champion for the elimination …

The silence has been broken, now let’s break the cycle of FGM/C

Efua Dorkenoo with UK International Development Minister Lynne Featherstone. Picture: Options

On this International Day of Zero Tolerance against Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), I call on everyone to unite in a global movement to prevent the next generation of girls from undergoing FGM/C. As we start on a new global social …

An African-led movement for change

23- year-old Adjura, who was cut when she was a child, had a reversal operation in 2009. Picture: Jessica Lea/DFID

What do you get when you combine a vibrant First Lady, a country in which most women have undergone female genital mutilation and many are facing health problems and complications in pregnancy, and funding from donor countries to support a …