Page 36 - Zenith2024

Zenith 2024

Girl`s dreams must be recovered:
young girls in Africa who are forced
into circumcision and early marriage
UNICEF has speculated that the poor
situation for African girls will worsen in the
coming decades due to inflation, climate
change, etc. Despite the international
effort to protect African girls’ lives and to
guard their dreams and hope, unethical
actions such as FGM (Female Genital
Mutilation) and early marriage still exist
throughout Africa.

Because Africa is a region where a male-dominated patriarchal culture is prevalent, girls in Africa
face hardships throughout their lives. They face dangers of FGM and early marriage since birth.
Because FGM is done without anesthesia, antiseptic, or medical equipment, it can lead to excessive
bleeding, and death at worst.
Also, because of the incident in which a 12-year-old girl was sent away for marriage to a 63-year-
old man in Ghana, a prime example of early marriage, the international society was outraged.
African parents who face financial difficulties choose to demand miscellaneous labor to their
daughters or to send them away to early marriage for dowry instead of sending them to school.
Naturally, early marriage leads to domestic labor, early pregnancy and academic breaks which
clearly violate girls’ human rights.

United Nations (UN) designated February 6th of
every year as International Day of Zero Tolerance
for Female Genital Mutilation, and aims to
exterminate FGM by 2030. Save the Children and
UNICEF are carrying out large-scale promotions
to let the world know about the sad reality. They
furthermore help African girls by funds, building
up schools, and giving education.
However, with the decreased rate in early
marriage, International Society today is urged to
get more interest and look for a specific solution
to exterminate this unbelievable violation of girls’ human rights. Here is a translation of a poem by
a UNICEF personnel who experienced FGM. (Translation by us)

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