Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
This book was made to give the victims of FGM a voice to speak up, to tell their story in order to spread awareness of this problem. The ages of the victims were between infancy and 50 years old. The pages of this book are used to symbolize the wounds they suffered, as well as the variation of the ages between them, where each page number represents the age of the victim when she was mutilated.
FGM is a violation of human rights. It reflects deep-rooted inequality and is a result of an extreme form of discrimination against women. FGM has no health benefits, ONLY harms women physically and mentally. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue and interferes with the natural functions of girls' and women's bodies. More than 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk for FGM annually. More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been cut in 30 countries including Africa, the Middle East and Asia where FGM is most concentrated.
