Despite awareness campaigns, female genital mutilation (FGM) remains a reality in some communities in the Casamance. In view of this persistence, the Plateforme des femmes pour la paix en Casamance, in partnership with the UNFPA, organized a training workshop for women exciseurs and survivors, with the aim of promoting the abandonment of this practice. “Female genital mutilation persists in several areas despite sustained efforts. To eradicate this scourge, it is essential to involve both the survivors and the taxpayers in a process of social transformation”, declared Ma Hawa Doumbouya, responsible for the Platform’s Justice and Human Rights Commission. During the session held in Ziguinchor, 30 women and girls who had been victims of FGM and who had been converted were trained in communication for behaviour change and in techniques of community relations. “These tools make it possible to stimulate dialogue, to question social norms, and above all, to encourage the abandonment of FGM in the communities”, underlined Mme Doumbouya. Some excise officers have taken advantage of this training to publicly commit themselves to abandoning their profession, while others have referred to economic constraints preventing them from immediately renouncing this activity, reports Le Quotidien. The initiative aims to transform these women into ambassadors of awareness, drawing on their local influence to initiate a lasting cultural change. With pressafrik
Casamance: women trained to become agents of social change
