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Yearly Archives: 2017
Report on Children’s right activism in Iran
14.11.2017. The London-based research lab “Small Media” has published a report on children’s rights and activism in Iran. The report gives a good overview on the issues child marriage, FGM and child labor, education and health. It discusses in detail some local associations and activist platforms, namely the Stop FGM Iran and Stop Early Marriage in Iran websites – two related and pressing issued in Iran.
According to the last numbers 41,437 girls were married under the age of 14 in the Islamic Year 1392 (2013-2014). The practice of female genital mutilation is declining, but still more than 60% of girls are cut in the most effected region of Hormozgan.
The report highights how local organisations are struggling between government policies, international organisations and reaching their audience. Not surprisingly, a major hurdle is involvment of activists and campaigning. But there are also complaints about the cooperation between UN organisations and local actors.
Read the report here.
Hormozgan, Iran: Meetings with scholars on FGM
26.10.2017. By Rayehe Mozafarian
After numerous reports on FGM in Hormozgan by various associations and publishing materials, finally one of the provincial governors of Hormozgan acknowledged the problem and announced to act:
Director General of the Office of Social and Cultural Affairs of Hormozgan Governorate has stated that we will have meetings with scholars on FGM of girls. (more…)
Ending Female Genital Mutilation among Kurds: Couple Approach in Iranian Journal
7.6.2017. By Osman Mahmoudi
Despite some successes in ending FGM among Kurdish people in Iran the rate of abandonment has been slow. Based on Osman Mahmoudi’s and Elham Houseini’s study on Psychosexual complications of Female Genital Mutilation for couples, published recently in the Journal of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, the couple developed now a new approach to the abandonment of FGM. The Osman Project (OP), named after the reseacher and initiatator of nongovernmental activities that promote mental health and development of women and girls in Uramanat region of Kermanshah province, started in 2010 in Javanroud, and later in Salas, Paveh, and Ravansar. OP’s main goal was to overcome the negative biases against couples and instead involve these couples in community efforts to improve the health and well-being of women and children. (more…)
Six year old Girl died in Iraqi-Kurdistan after being mutilated
30.5.2017. Athough Female Genital Mutilation is banned by law in Iraqi-Kurdistan since 2011 and numbers of newly mutilated girls are dropping significantly since then, still many girls are subjected to this cruel practice. (more…)
Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM: Progress in Asia
Press release by WADI / Stop FGM Middle East & Asia
February 6th 2017. On the seventh official International Day of Zero Tolerance to female genital mutilation (FGM), it has been 13 years, that WADI first brought the issue FGM happening in Asia, in this case Iraq, to the international agenda. In this last decade WADI’s campaign against FGM in Iraq has yielded great success as a recent study by the Heartland Alliance in cooperation with Unicef and the High Council of Women Affairs shows. The rates of FGM in Northern Iraq have decreased dramatically when comparing mothers and daughters. Among mothers surveyed 44,8% reported to be cut compared to 10,7% of their daughters. The success of a comprehensive campaign becomes even more evident when looking at the figures of regions where WADI’s campaign started and has been going on since more than ten years: In the region of Halabja only 1.1% of daughters are cut today in comparison to 40% of mothers. (more…)
Heartland study shows steep decline of FGM rates in Iraqi Kurdistan
10.1.2017. By Stop FGM Middle East.
A study by the Heartland Alliance in cooperation with Unicef and the High Council of Women Affairs shows a dramatic decrease in rates of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Northern Iraq when comparing mothers and daughters. Among mothers surveyed 44,8% reported to be cut compared to 10,7% of their daughters. Results also show a direct link between campaigning and decline of rates. Religion remains a major factor among those who continue the procedure on their children.