[ 2014-02-08 ]

Kuurimah Umuhera Ibrahim

FGM victim seeks support
Twenty-four-year-old Kuurimah Umuhera Ibrahim, a
victim of female genital mutilation (FGM) has
appealed to the Ministry of Gender, Children and
Social Protection to assist her educate people on
the practice.

Ms Ibrahim, a student of the University for
Development Studies (UDS) who hails from the Upper
West Region, said she had tried using platforms
such as the Miss Excel Plus pageant to send her
message across but more needed to be done.

She said government had in the past educated
people about the consequences of the practice,
“but it is inadequate to get the messages to the
villages where the practice is taking place.”

“Sometimes they should also give other people
the chance to also talk. There is an adage in my
language that the one who sleeps in the dark room
knows where the head is.

“I am a victim and I know what I am going
through so I am in the best position to convince
somebody about the practice for them to desist
from it, so they should give me the chance to also
educate the people,” she said.

Kuurimah made this appeal in an interview with
DAILY GUIDE to mark the ‘International Day of
Zero Tolerance to FGM’ celebrated on February 6,
every year.

The day is observed as a time to make the world
aware of FGM.

According to data from the World Health
Organization (WHO), an estimated 120 to 140
million women have been subjected to this harmful
practice and three million girls continue to be at
risk.

Kuurimah believes victims of the practice should
come out and speak about their ordeal so people
would be made aware of the negative effects of the
practice.

“I am saying together we can fight this,” she
said.

Kuurimah was circumcised when she was only a week
old and got to know about her condition at the age
of 15 in senior high school.

She had since tried to cope with the challenges of
her condition and being strongly advocating the
practice to be stopped in her small way.

Source - Daily Guide

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