Women empower women to take a stand against female genital mutilation
February 6 was celebrated as International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, as determined by the United Nations.
This day was declared by the First Lady of Nigeria Stella Obasanjo at a conference organised by the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children.
As part of the NSW Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) community education program, eight women from a variety of culturally diverse backgrounds, and with the assistance of the FGM program, spoke about women’s health issues to guests at Dooley’s Catholic Club.
NSW Education Program on FGM senior health education officer Linda George was delighted with the attendance and representation from cultural and diverse backgrounds.
“The women discussed many issues including healthy eating, mental health, what is FGM, the human rights of girls, healthy relationships, domestic violence and the NSW legislation against FGM,” she said. “A highlight was when everyone got up on their feet for a 15 minute light-aerobic session.
“Another highlight was the screening of a video titled Africa Rising. The movie depicted several women from African countries, who took the initiative to stop FGM in their communities and protect young girls from this harmful practice.”
For further information or if you require training, visit: http://wslhdintranet.wsahs.nsw. gov.au/Multicultural-Health/MulticulturalHealth or call Linda George on 9840 3910.
