First-year MIB Ammar Karimjee Invited to Sit on UN Panel
First-year MIB student Ammar Karimjee was invited to sit on a UN panel on the issue of FGM/C in support of International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM. He writes:
“As many of you may know already, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM — sometimes also called cutting or circumcision) is a very harmful practice performed on women around the world. It’s not something that simply occurs in rural villages and backwards societies. It happens in numerous countries and regions, including right here in the United States. It not only has zero medical benefits, but conversely causes major physical detriment to the women who are forced to go through it.
“Many of you may not know that I in fact come from a community which to this day practices FGM on women. Ever since finding out a few years ago, I have worked behind the scenes on this issue. But I am willing to be silent about this no longer. Today, to a room of 40-50 officials and activists alike, I spoke about how vital it is for males to become engaged in this issue and about the challenges that come from engaging with it. It’s not simply a women’s issue; this is a human rights issue. Men must start seeing it as such.
“Please spread the word so that people can understand how big a problem this is. I hope you’ll all join me in putting your foot down and saying it’s finally time to #endFGM everywhere and in all forms.”
You can learn more about Ammar and the issue at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmfflgHKCfU&feature=youtu.be
We are extremely proud of Ammar’s efforts to raise awareness on such a critical issue.