BEIJING, China, 6 February 2023 – On the occasion of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, and the Embassy of Ireland in China screened the film A Girl From Mogadishu, to raise awareness of the issue of FGM and to advocate for the elimination of all forms of harmful practices against women and girls.

The film is based on the true story of Ifrah Ahmed, a survivor of FGM, who escaped war-torn Somalia, and was granted asylum and citizenship in Ireland. She established the Ifrah Foundation in 2010 and has become one of the world’s foremost activists against FGM and gender based violence.

“Female genital mutilation is a violation of the human rights of women and girls. Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs is a proud partner of the Ifrah Foundation to support their efforts to develop and implement an Action Plan for the Eradication of FGM in Somalia by 2030,” says H.E. Dr. Ann Derwin, Ambassador of Ireland to China.

An estimated 200 million girls and women alive today are believed to have been subjected to FGM. They live predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab States, as well as in selected countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

“UNFPA and UNICEF jointly lead the largest global programme to accelerate the elimination of FGM, thanks to support from our global development partners. We work with the governments, academia, civil society organizations, women and youth activists to support the elimination of FGM in 17 countries. In 2021 alone, over 3.5 million people made public commitments to end FGM in the communities where we work,” says Dr. Justine Coulson, Representative of UNFPA in China.

To further the audience’s understanding of FGM, Ifrah Ahmed joined the event for a live Q&A after the screening of the film. She reflected on her continuing motivation to ensure the next generation of girls don’t undergo FGM and the importance of engaging men and boys in efforts to end the practice, as well as sharing some of the highlights from the Dear Daughter campaign, jointly run by the Ifrah Foundation and UNFPA, which calls on men and women to publicly pledge to end FGM.  

“We still have a long way to go. We call upon all stakeholders, including men and boys, to join hands to challenge power dynamics within their families and communities and support women and girls as agents of change,” added Dr. Coulson. 

To learn more about the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation:
https://www.unfpa.org/events/international-day-zero-tolerance-female-ge…

To learn more about the Dear Daughter Campaign:
https://deardaughter.unfpa.org/ 

For more information please contact:

• Shujun Liu, Communications Analyst, UNFPA China, sliu@unfpa.org.
• Xiao Qi, Press and Public Diplomacy Officer, Embassy of Ireland in China, qi.xiao@dfanet.ie.