According to a 2008 survey* half of all girls aged 10-16 reported being victims, with the figure rising to over 60% in rural areas.
One of the largest NGOs fighting FGM in the country is Plan International. Their ‘Because I am a girl’ project has reached 17 820 girls, 11 314 women, 9678 boys and 8000 men in eight communities in the Assiut region.
To support Plan’s campaign, Sweden’s Soroptimists were able to collect an impressive number of mobile phones for recycling. In addition to the environmental benefits, the money raised has funded:
_training in children’s rights for 400 teachers and social workers
_information sessions on children’s rights for 200 local leaders
_training and information sessions on the rights of girls for 70 religious leaders
_training on health damage linked to female genital mutilation for 200 doctors
This will help improve compliance with Egypt’s FGM law and contribute to the more difficult, long-term task of challenging harmful traditions and changing deeply ingrained patterns of behaviour.