Make FGM History in Sudan CampaignFollowing the death of a little Sudanese girl due to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in December 2005, FORWARD has launched a campaign to Make FGM History in Sudan. On December 6th 2005 an innocent four year old Sudanese girl, Enaam Abdelwahab from Abu Deleeg in Sudan, lost her life to FGM. The Doctor who was on duty at the hospital to which she was admitted reported that her death was caused by excessive bleeding and blood poisoning resulting from FGM. Sadly such needless deaths are by no means uncommon occurrences, however, the fact that the incident was widely reported in the Sudanese press is unusual. Pictures were circulated of the little girl's body, pictures which succeeded in shattering, or at least for the time being, the vicious silence that usually prevails in relation to the issue of FGM. As a result, on December 14th a group of Sudanese civil society organisations led by the Sudanese Nurses Union took to the streets in Khartoum to protest against little Enaam?s death. They marched from the hospital in which she died, to the Ministry of Justice, in order to demand a law specifically banning all forms of FGM in Sudan. Although Sudan has had a law since 1946 banning the most severe form of FGM the law is clearly insufficient as it does not ban all forms of FGM, and as it has failed to prevent the tragic death of this little girl. It has also failed to protect Sudanese girls and women at large, for an estimated 89 per cent of Sudanese women are subjected to FGM, and mostly to the most severe form, type 3 which is known as ?Pharonic Circumcision?. In response to Enaam?s death, and in her memory, FORWARD has launched a campaign for effective legislation against all forms of FGM in Sudan. FORWARD called upon our supporters, fellow sisters and all those working for the realisation of the rights of girls and women worldwide to join the campaign and increase mobilisation against FGM in Sudan. We urged people to show their support by completing and sending sample campaign letters to the Sudanese Ministry of Justice urging it to uphold the state?s responsibilities to protect the human rights of girls and women, and to the Sudanese Embassy in London, calling on it to take immediate action to eliminate all forms of Female Genital Mutilation in Sudan. In collaboration with the Sudanese Organisation Sudan For All, online petitions in English and in Arabic were created outlining the campaigns demands, and in total over 2000 signatures have been collected. The petition has now been closed and the petition is soon to be presented to the Ministry of Justice in Sudan but the online petition and signatures can be read here. FORWARD would like to extend out thanks to all those who signed the petition, and special thanks to Sudan For All who helped publicise and translate the petition. Whilst the petition has now closed it is not too late to offer your support:
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