Evaluating the impact of our awareness campaigns against FGM/C
We have noticed some changes over time. These include the breaking of taboos, an increase in the agency of women, and the growing ownership of anti-FGM/C activities by villagers. For example, previously in the village of Sakorola, the community and girls’ families paid a contribution to an exciseuse (traditional circumciser) to perform FGM/C. Now, the women’s assembly there has decided to redirect these funds for the benefit of the Sakorola community. During one of our field missions, the women proudly showed us a well paid for out of funds that had become available because they had not cut their girls that year.
Another local initiative took place in Dabadou, where members of the local vigilance committee set up a hotline. They distributed the phone number to villagers, including people from surrounding villages, during awareness campaigns at markets and community assemblies, emphasising the importance of stopping FGM/C. On several occasions, this hotline was used for advice or to report families that were considering cutting their girls. When they received such calls, vigilance committee members took the opportunity to visit these families, explaining the reasons why FGM/C should not be practised. In another village, the local midwife, working at a health post (not the one built by Aniké/ASD), performed FGM/C on fourteen girls. The villagers raised awareness and contacted ASD to intervene. ASD brought the issue to the attention of UNICEF, and an investigation followed, resulting in the prosecution and trial of the local midwife.
Although a formal evaluation and quantification of the impacts of the campaigns has not yet been carried out due to time constraints, we hope to have demonstrated that the combination of sensibilisation (awareness-raising) against FGM/C with supporting local entrepreneurship and healthcare in rural villages is promising, and is helping to motivate communities to re-assess the necessity of continuing FGM/C.