Who are 28 Too Many?
28 Too Many is a values based FGM charity funded by supporters and donations, created to help eradicate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the twenty-eight countries within Africa where it is still practised. Founded in 2010, it takes a stand against FGM (also known as Female Genital Cutting).
Gender based violence (GBV) exists in most societies, often focussed on violence against women (VAW). Difficulties arise when the violence is undertaken by family members on young girls that neither have a voice, nor any concept of the wrongs of the practice, nor any understanding of alternative options.
FGM – also known as Female Genital Cutting (FGC) or Female Circumsision – has existed for over 2000 years and is a painful and dangerous traditional practice for altering the female genitalia. A major human rights and health problem, affecting up to 140 million women, FGM arouses strong emotional response, coming under increasingly intense international scrutiny.
We are called to raise our voices against dangerous practices such as FGM and stand against them. There are considerable parallels between footbinding and FGM with eight key identical elements. Lessons have been drawn from eliminating footbinding which was extensive in 1889, yet by 1907 had all but disappeared, after being prevalent for around a thousand years. The small group of people who led this dramatic change possessed the insight to understand the mechanics perpetuating knowledge in a way that enabled its end. The experiential impact of such efforts cannot be underestimated. Millions of Chinese girls have been given a pain free life. The opportunity now exists for the national and international community to give the same gift to tens of millions of girls and women in the countries still practising FGM, through abandoning this practice.
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How did we start/Who is Ann-Marie Wilson?
With a heart for the marginalised and lost, the founder – Ann-Marie Wilson – first witnessed Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and obstructed labour in West Darfur in 2005. After five years of training, research and experience, she launched 28 Too Many, an anti FGM charity.
Ann-Marie says “Even as a small child I had a heart for the marginalised. I was active in the Red Cross from age six, and fascinated by the lives of pioneers to Africa. By sixteen I decided to ‘help people’ through a career in human resources. I worked for twelve years in large companies, in training and equal opportunities, later moving into counselling, coaching and psychology.
“Wanting to move to the not-for-profit sector, I set up my own consultancy firm and ran it for 10 years. In 1999, I took a sabbatical and had my first taste of overseas aid work in Indo-China. I downsized my role and worked from 2001-4 at 75% then 50%, before leaving for short term aid assignments in 2004.
“During those three years I was in Kosovo, Uganda, Kenya and Sudan. It was in North Sudan I met an eleven year old who had been raped at age ten, and now had a baby. Having had FGM, she would have died in the bush because of obstructed labour.
“Meeting her was a pivatol moment. I did more study in 2005-6 in USA/Asia, then finished off my Psychology Doctorate before going to study Cross-Cultural and Development studies, anthropology, and Islamics.
“I spent time with Somalis through an internship in an internally displaced peoples (IDP) camp in 2008, home to 250,000 people on the Kenya/Somali Border, working in the gender based violence unit (GBV). There I was managing cases and teaching 250 people who were committed to stand up against FGM, the committees against violence (CAV). This included skills in advocacy, reproductive health (HIV Aids, STIs, anti-FGM) and anti-GBV/VAW topics (early forced marriage, boy child preference etc). I have also learnt anatomy/physiology through
helping birth babies in Pakistan and then worked in Nigeria in a fistula rehabilitation centre. I now feel ready to launch this organisation and aim to make this my life purpose.”
You can read about Ann-Marie Wilson on her profile page
What do we want to achieve?
28 Too Many wants to help eradicate FGM in Africa by:Mapping community level best practice.
Focus 1: Mapping Best Practice
Map current practice of FGM across each of the 28 countries in Africa and share best practice and current thinking:- Each countries’ data will be logged so that others can access it.
- Each country will be linked into a local cluster and later into a regional a hub.
- In time, communities and organisations will be linked together with key trainer/educators networking nationally and internationally whilst taking learning back to their grassroots organisations.
Sharing knowledge and educating communities.
Focus 2: Sharing Wisdom
Provide and share information and trainings on FGM and network with academics, educationalists, NGOs, governments and UN change agents. Contribute to a shared database and online learning resource community.Supporting women’s psycho-social health and medical needs.
Focus 3: Offering Support
Offer points for referral for women who have had experience of FGM via counselling and medical services.Advocating for women’s human rights through raising a caring community.
Focus 4: Advocacy
Advocate and lobby for women’s rights in anti FGM and related gender based violence areas/VAW. Create an active movement, ensuring this issue is known about by communities, releasing resources to create a domino effect to eradicate FGM.Monitoring and Evaluating progress.
What is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and where does it happen?
What? Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a traditional cultural practice involving the cutting or removal of the external female genitals. It is also sometimes known at Female Genital Cutting (FGC). There are four main types of FGM. FGM is traditionally practised by non-medically trained women. It can result in pain, emotional and health problems.
The main types of FGM are:
- Clitoridectomy – Clitoris or clitoral hood is cut off.
- Intermediate – Clitoris and inner lips are removed.
- Infibulation – Clitoris, inner and outer lips are removed and the remaining skin is stitched or sealed leaving a small opening.
- Other harmful procedures – Including piercing, pricking, stretching, scraping, burning, cutting and introducing corrosives/herbs.
The health problems caused include:
- Severe loss of blood, pain or shock
- Difficulties in urinating or menstruating
- Bladder infections
- Increased risk of HIV Aids
- Mental health problems – extreme depression, anxiety and trauma.
- Problems with sexuality and during sex
- Complications, and sometimes death, in pregnancy and childbirth including obstructed labour due to reduced opening, or incontinence due to fistula (tears in bladder or rectum).
Where? Around 140m African females have undergone FGM/FGC. Each year 3m girls are at risk of FGM being performed. It is practised in 28 African countries, and some communities in the Middle East and Asia. FGM/FGC is particularly extensive in Somalia. It also affects refugee populations in Europe, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In UK, over 75,000 women have undergone FGM, and over 20,000 females are at risk of FGM annually.
Why does FGM happen?
It is often performed for the following reasons:- Promoting cultural identity
- Protecting tradition and religion
- Preserving virginity, chastity and family honour
- Improving marriage prospects.
It is a traditional practice dating back to pre-Islam/pre-Christianity. It is thought to have Egyptian or Sudanese origins, and was practised in UK and USA until 19th Century. There is no requirement in any religion for FGM.
In communities that practice FGM, there are many untrue myths which keep the practice going. These have sometimes been passed on orally and cannot always be checked out if women are illiterate or cannot access the facts.
In the UK The FGM Act 2003 protects British nationals or UK permanent residents against FGM. However, all girls are protected against all forms of child abuse, including FGM.
Practising FGM is a criminal offence and the 2003 Act also forbids taking someone outside the UK to have FGM. The offence can result in a fine and/or up to 14 years in prison.
Whilst acting as a deterrent, making something illegal does not always cause it to be stopped. The impact of international conventions and domestic legislation may have been slow, and enforcement rare, yet several governments have put in laws to eliminate FGM in their countries.
Although practised primarily in African countries, international migration has extended the practice to Europe, where is viewed as a violation of women’s rights, and cannot be justified out of respect for cultural traditions/initiation ceremonies.
Anti-FGM European legal provisions vary from specific legislation to general use of criminal or child protection laws. No country (2004) with specific anti-FGM law has brought a case to court.
In African counties, it is ‘illegal’ in 14; prosecutable if the patient dies ‘in 4’; moving towards being outlawed ‘in 5’; ‘partially dealt with’ in 2 and ‘not banned’ in 3.
