Restoring the physical and emotional integrity of Aichata and thousands of survivors
In Mali, nearly three-quarters of girls aged 0-14 are subject to Female Genital Mutilation.
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Aichata* is 20 years old and has two children. She was married at 14. She also underwent genital mutilation at the age of seven, in her village in the cercle of Kati, some twenty kilometers from Bamako, the capital of Mali.
"One day, my grandmother fetched me from my parents' house. The next day, I found myself in the bush with a group of girls of my age. The village circumciser cut us one by one. I couldn't feel my body when it was my turn. My grandmother took care of me for a few days at her home before taking me back to my parents" Aichata tells her story, looking impassive, almost helpless.
In Mali, according to the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey, more than 7 out of 10 girls (73%) of girls aged 0-14 have undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
After her marriage, Aichata had her first pregnancy at the age of 15. The delivery was extremely difficult, almost costing her life and her baby’s. Her very young age and the consequences of genital mutilation had a lot to do with it. She has a narrowed vaginal orifice due to poorly healed genital mutilation. Several months after giving birth, Aichata still has difficulty walking. A bad laceration during childbirth caused her a prolapsed uterus, a weakening of the pelvis according to the doctor who attended her.
Female genital mutilation can cause severe complications and even death. The most direct risks include hemorrhage, septic shock and urinary retention. Girls who endure female genital mutilation are more likely to drop out of school, jeopardizing opportunities for a better future for themselves and their communities.
"I don't understand why this continues to be done to little girls in my village. It doesn't do any good and it hurts so much. It creates too many problems. If I have the opportunity to prevent it, I won't allow my daughters to endure FGM," says Aichata.
Genital prolapse and its consequences, in addition to the risk of isolation in her community, prompted Aichata to turn to the Association pour la Promotion des Droits et du Bien-être de la Famille (APSEF). This NGO is a UNICEF partner on the project "Promotion of community-based approaches to the prevention and transformation of social norms linked to FGM, child marriage and other forms of gender-based violence".
As in the case of Aichata, survivors of genital mutilation are cared for medically, psychologically and socio-economically, in collaboration with local partners and the decentralized structures of the Ministry for the Promotion of Women, Children and the Family and the Ministry of Health. This holistic approach enables survivors not only to reclaim their physical and emotional integrity, but also to become agents of change in their communities.
These activities have been funded by the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Program, the Spotlight Initiative program funded by the European Union, the Nafama program funded by the Canadian Government, Denmark, Sweden and the Adolescent Girls program funded by UNICEF.
In 2023, UNICEF and its partners ensured access to psychosocial care services for nearly 2,000 FGM survivors. 73% of them received medical care in addition to psychosocial care. Also, thanks to the community-based protection system, which ensures compliance with the rules for transforming positive social norms, more than 2,500 cases of FGM have been prevented.
*First name has been changed to protect the survivor.
