World Cup footballers and their daughters take on ending FGM ⚽

Dear <<First Name>>,

When the Global Media Campaign and UNFPA asked ourselves how to reach an entirely new global audience, including men, to end FGM, the answer was clear - football…

And, the footballers agreed.

Today, UNFPA/GMC launch phase one of the campaign to End FGM that will take us all the way to the World Cup.

We are also preparing for the Zero Tolerance for FGM, the biggest day in the #EndFGM calendar. We will announce over 50 media campaigns, run by grassroots campaigners across 9 countries.

And finally, but critically, we look forward the launch of our #StopEasterFGM campaign to stop the expected surge in post COVID-19 cutting as the schools break for the easter holidays.

For more on our plans see below.

We have kick-off.

Thanks from all at the Global Media Campaign for your support and especially to our partners UNFPA.

Football stars and FGM

#BornPerfect campaign led by UNFPA/GMC kicked off this week to coincide with the Africa Cup in Cameroon. Three Nigeria Internationals have filmed video shorts with their daughters to support the anti-FGM message.

This unique global campaign to end FGM is harnessing the power of football stars and their daughters to bring the ‘#BornPerfect say no to FGM’ message to the 2022 World Cup and reaching over 100 million people along the way. Efe Ambrose on why we are born perfect

See the first of our sporting legends with their daughters on social media: ‘My daughter is Born Perfect – say NO to FGM’.

Read more about the Born Perfect campaign here

Meanwhile, UNFPA/GMC campaigners are gearing up for Zero Tolerance day for FGM on Thursday 6th February.

This year over 50 media campaigns will run on Zero Tolerance Day across ten countries. The theme is #InvestDontRest and is fronted by our partners in the Joint Program to End FGM and led by UNFPA. GMC will be taking part in an online conversation on the 10th February 2022, showcasing its work with #EndFGM campaigners, community influencers like religious leaders, and journalists, to end FGM on the media.

Read more about the Born Perfect campaign here

UNFPA/GMC media activists are acting now to Stop the surge in post COVID-19 holiday cutting this Easter, using the hashtag #StopEasterFGM.

School girls being marched on the streets after they were cut in large numbers in Kuria, Kenya (December 2021).

Over 500 girls were cut during the Christmas holidays in the Tanzania border county of Migori in Kenya. A UNFPA/GMC media campaign led to police interventions and 57 arrests.
“No one was intervening until we went public about the ceremonies. Girls were even being paraded in the streets in broad daylight. But after the national media coverage, the police clamped down hard,” said Jeremiah Kipainoi, the Global Media Campaign’s Director of Communications. “But still 500 girls were cut. We will start the End FGM media campaigns way ahead of the cutting season.”

GMC is already meeting journalists and activists across the Kenya-Tanzania border to prevent mass cutting this March-April school holiday season. Campaigners across Africa have agreed on the hashtag #StopEasterFGM.

Read more here and help us spread the word on Twitter

REST IN PEACE MASERAY SEI

#RememberMaseray

21-year-old Maseray Sei’s voting registration picture. She died from FGM on December 19th 2021 during an FGM surge on the Christmas holidays

The 21-year-old FGM victim and mother of two boys who bled to death was buried on Sunday 16^th January. End FGM Activists on the media, led by Ragiatu Turay of the Amazonian Initiative Movement made sure that her death made national and international news.
A campaign has also been organised to have FGM banned in Sierra Leone.

We are also launching the #StopEasterFGM campaign to prevent the deaths of more young women like Maseray Sei. Follow this hashtag #StopEasterFGM to participate once we kick off. It will be active from the beginning of March 2022 to the end of April 2022.

Plan International with GMC has now run over 261 anti–FGM media campaigns in Mali generating over 86 million views recording an 8 percent fall in support for FGM in just 6 months.

Campaigners Oumou Salif Touré, Maimouna Camara, Bintou Traoré, Mariam Diallo, Kadiatou Touré, Aminata Traoré, Fanta Doumbia, SalimataTraoré, Assitan Lountandy Keita celebrating their work.

Plan Denmark, Plan Germany and GMC started work in Mali in 2019. Three years later, 261 media campaigns have been rolled out, generating over 468 broadcast hours and 86 million views or listens. UNFPA and the World Bank came on board and now two National TV Campaigns later, we look forward to next month to measure the latest progress on how this relentless, passionate media movement has transformed the country’s prevalence rates.
Thank you for all your continued support!

Conduit Club London event - How to End FGM by 2030

Please join us on Thursday 3rd February @ 1830 GMT via this link

Some of Africa's most successful anti-FGM campaigners and the GMC team will be LIVE at the Conduit Club in London. This meeting hopes to raise emergency funds to #StopEasterFGM as the Easter school holidays are approaching.

Click here to join the live event

To find out more about the Global Media Campaign to End FGM and to directly support the frontline media activists who are ending FGM go to www.globalmediacampaign.org

For further information please contact
info@globalmediacampaign.org
+4477696430685

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