It came on Friday February 6 at the United Nations in New York where the Gambian activist met UN officials to share her story on FGM as part of events marking the International Day of Zero Tolerance Against Female Genital Mutilation.
Speaking exclusively to The Standard, Mrs Jaha Dukureh described her meeting with the UN chief as ‘wide-ranging and productive,’ because she sued for an end to violence against women.
She added: “As you know I met with Ban ki Moon on Friday on International Zero Tolerance Day Against Female Genital Mutilation. For me it was huge as my work was commended by the UN Secretary General. I realised that I couldn’t have done it by myself as I have an amazing team in The Gambia. I have the most dedicated team members and volunteers all of whom are working for absolutely nothing.
“Our work also would not have been possible without the support of The Guardian, the Girl Generation and Human Dignity Foundation. Our media partners in The Gambia and around the world have also amplified our voices and helped get our work noticed. We have achieved so much in the past year with very limited resources and I hope it only gets better from here on out.
Survivor speaks out
Meanwhile, while sharing her story at the United Nations, Jaha Dukureh said she is a victim of FGM and that the practice has taken away something from her.
She added: “I’m not whole. I’m not intact. Something has been taken away from me. I have three kids and every time that I have delivered my babies, having gone through that process, of getting stitched up because of FGM and the scars that I have and the pain I go through when I’m delivering my baby. With all the three kids I have, my labour has been more than 18 hours and that is as a result of FGM.”
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