PDN Photo of the Day

February 6, 2019

Calling Attention to Female Genital Mutilation

Amboseli, Kenya. December 7, 2017. In the Maasai village of Lenkisem, girls between 9-16 participate in a two-day ceremony that brings girls from surrounding villages to one school. They bonded while being educated on their basic rights and why female genital mutilation (FGM) is unhealthy. Photo by Andrea Bruce / NOOR
Hamashkoreeb, Kassala State, Sudan. 2014. Trained midwives teach hygiene to a group of girls at the water facility of a rehabilitated maternity ward. Midwives play a fundamental role in encouraging their communities to abandon female genital mutilation (FGM). Photo by Laura Salvinelli
Kayes, Mali. 2016. Sada Coulibaly lost two of his daughters following female genital mutilation (FGM). At that time, 138 villages in the area had decided to go against the dominant opinion in Mali, and publicly declared their abandonment of FGM. Photo by Riccardo Venturi
Fraipont, Belgium. September 10, 2014. Fatoumata fled her native Guinea in order to prevent her young daughter, Binta, from undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM). Photo by Valentin Bianchi / Hans Lucas
Banjul, Gambia. August 2, 2008. Religious leaders join a circumcision celebration and pray for the girls. Next to them is the Ngnangsimbah, the “cutter woman”. This is the day that Agi (centre), 7, will be recognized by the adult community. In Gambia, 75% of girls between 15-19 undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). Photo by Edu Bayer
Liberia. March 8, 2012. Pulitzer Center grantee Mae Azango (right) discusses the challenges of working as a midwife with Annie Gobah, a trained traditional midwife from Todee. After one of her story on female genital mutilation (FGM) ran in FrontPage Africa, Azango received a series of threats. Photo by Jake Naughton
Pattani province, Thailand. March 15, 2015. Thai girls walk past Pattani Central Mosque before the evening prayers. Women in the region are encouraged to cut their daughters under the assumption that it will control their sexual urges in adulthood and make them “clean”. Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha
Reserve of Santa Marta, Risaralda, Colombia. November 11, 2004. María Noelia Queraguema Nacavera, a midwife apprentice, is educating Embera women on the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM). Next to her is Feliciana Nacavera, her mother and the eldest midwife of their indigenous reserve. Photo by Alexandra McNichols Torroledo
Narok, Kenya. December 19, 2006. Young girls study inside the mess hall of the Tasaru Safehouse for Girls. The Tasaru Safehouse supports board, lodging and education of young Maasai girls from preteens to late teens who seek refuge from female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage. Photograph by Marvi Lacar / Lowy+Lacar
Dysturb installation. Original photo by Alexandra McNichols Torroledo. New York City paste-up photo by Dysturb.
Dysturb installation. Original photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha. New York City paste-up photo by Dysturb.
Amboseli, Kenya. December 7, 2017. In the Maasai village of Lenkisem, girls between 9-16 participate in a two-day ceremony that brings girls from surrounding villages to one school. They bonded while being educated on their basic rights and why female genital mutilation (FGM) is unhealthy. Photo by Andrea Bruce / NOOR
Hamashkoreeb, Kassala State, Sudan. 2014. Trained midwives teach hygiene to a group of girls at the water facility of a rehabilitated maternity ward. Midwives play a fundamental role in encouraging their communities to abandon female genital mutilation (FGM). Photo by Laura Salvinelli
Kayes, Mali. 2016. Sada Coulibaly lost two of his daughters following female genital mutilation (FGM). At that time, 138 villages in the area had decided to go against the dominant opinion in Mali, and publicly declared their abandonment of FGM. Photo by Riccardo Venturi
Fraipont, Belgium. September 10, 2014. Fatoumata fled her native Guinea in order to prevent her young daughter, Binta, from undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM). Photo by Valentin Bianchi / Hans Lucas
Banjul, Gambia. August 2, 2008. Religious leaders join a circumcision celebration and pray for the girls. Next to them is the Ngnangsimbah, the “cutter woman”. This is the day that Agi (centre), 7, will be recognized by the adult community. In Gambia, 75% of girls between 15-19 undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). Photo by Edu Bayer
Liberia. March 8, 2012. Pulitzer Center grantee Mae Azango (right) discusses the challenges of working as a midwife with Annie Gobah, a trained traditional midwife from Todee. After one of her story on female genital mutilation (FGM) ran in FrontPage Africa, Azango received a series of threats. Photo by Jake Naughton
Pattani province, Thailand. March 15, 2015. Thai girls walk past Pattani Central Mosque before the evening prayers. Women in the region are encouraged to cut their daughters under the assumption that it will control their sexual urges in adulthood and make them “clean”. Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha
Reserve of Santa Marta, Risaralda, Colombia. November 11, 2004. María Noelia Queraguema Nacavera, a midwife apprentice, is educating Embera women on the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM). Next to her is Feliciana Nacavera, her mother and the eldest midwife of their indigenous reserve. Photo by Alexandra McNichols Torroledo
Narok, Kenya. December 19, 2006. Young girls study inside the mess hall of the Tasaru Safehouse for Girls. The Tasaru Safehouse supports board, lodging and education of young Maasai girls from preteens to late teens who seek refuge from female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage. Photograph by Marvi Lacar / Lowy+Lacar
Dysturb installation. Original photo by Alexandra McNichols Torroledo. New York City paste-up photo by Dysturb.
Dysturb installation. Original photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha. New York City paste-up photo by Dysturb.

The alternative media movement, Dysturb, has partnered with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to create a public photo exhibition at the United Nations headquarters in New York and mural-sized paste-ups in the streets of the city. The displays, jointly called “Female Genital Mutilation: 68 Million Girls at Risk,” open today, February 6, the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a practice that involves altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons, and it is internationally recognized as a human rights violation.

“More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been cut around the world and around 68 million girls may be cut if efforts are not accelerated to end this harmful practice,” according to the UNFPA, New York, 2018.

The exhibition covers the geographical scope of the practice, often thought to be limited to only a few regions of the world, while also giving space to those who speak out – girls, survivors, activists, educators. The partnership between Dysturb and the UNFPA aims to be a step in a successful and sustainable elimination of FGM.

The photographers exhibited are: Nando Azevedo, Edu Bayer, Valentin Bianchi, Karen Paulina Biswell, Dean Bradshaw, Andrea Bruce, Kristian Buus, Sima Diab, Simona Ghizzoni, Louise Gubb, Meeri Koutaniemi, Marvi Lacar, Jake Naughton, Per-Anders Pettersson, Giacomo Pirozzi, Laura Salvinelli, Lillian Suwanrumpha, Alexandra McNichols-Torroledo , Riccardo Venturi.

“Female Genital Mutilation: 68 Million Girls at Risk”
Open to the public February 7 – March 25, 2019
United Nations Visitors’ Lobby
46th St & 1st Ave, New York, NY 10017
Locations of the street paste-ups are available on dysturb.com

Posted in:

Documentary/Photojournalism

Tags:

, , , , , , ,

Comments:

1 comment

Share

1 Comment

  1. It’s disturbing how religion breaks down / away from common sense. God’s best gift to mankind is that ability to think. Deep down everyone knows mutilation is Wrong, then act upon your natural instinct.

Top of Page