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No FGM Australia
No FGM Australia is a nonprofit organization that works toward the abolition of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and the empowerment of FGM survivors by highlighting stories and experiences of FGM survivors.[1] It is currently based in Australia.[1]
No FGM Australia aims to create a society in which all girls can “grow into the women they were born to be” without the negative mental and physical consequences of FGM.[1]
In addition to being the founder of the organization, Khadija Gbla serves as the Executive Director. Paula Ferrari and Sybil Williams help Gbla oversee the organization as members of the board of directors.[1]
Origins
No FGM Australia was founded by Khadija Gbla in Adelaide, Australia because of her own experiences with FGM.[2][3]
Born in Sierra Leone, Gbla fled to Gambia with her family in 1991 at just three years old because of the Sierra Leone Civil War.[2] At 9 years old, under the pretense of a holiday, Gbla was led by her mother to an old woman who “cut away at her clitoris with a rusty knife […] and threw the piece of flesh across the room like it was the most disgusting thing she’d ever seen.”[2][3]
Of the incident, Gbla has stated that the memories of the betrayal still haunt her: "Even to this day, there’s still a lot of shock, confusion, a sense of hurt, and betrayal. To be lured away and then instead of going on a holiday, you end up having the most horrific act done to you. I don’t know how one processes that. To this day, I go to therapy.”[3] Gbla repressed the memory of the incident for many years afterwards.[2]
Shortly after the incident, Gbla and her family were granted refugee status in Australia.[2][3] She and her family then relocated to Adelaide, the capital city of the state of South Australia.[1][2] As a teenager attending an all girls school, Gbla began to volunteer for an organization called Woman’s Health StateWide, an organization based in North Adelaide that provided health services to women and children.[4][2] There she joined their FGM Program and spent months working and educating herself and others about the dangers and the practice of FGM.[2] Having repressed the memories at such a young age, at first Gbla continued learning about FGM without understanding its personal relevance in her life.[2] The memories of her FGM began to resurface, which led to a “strange phase of anger and pain and confusion.”[2]
Eventually Gbla channeled her anger and emotion into creating No FGM Australia.[2][5]
Political Views
FGM as a Human Rights Issue
The organization views the practice of FGM as “child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, grievous bodily harm, abuse of women, and a violation of human rights.”[6]
No FGM Australia is guided by the principle that FGM represents one of the most debilitating forms of abuse.[1]
Furthermore the organization denounces FGM and its role in trying to suppress the sexual desires of women and female bodily autonomy worldwide.[2]
FGM as a Cultural Issue
No FGM Australia believes that FGM has become a global problem due to the migration of people from places around the world where FGM is practiced.[2][5] Because of this, they directly advocate for the young children and girls in Australia who may be subjected to FGM by a guardian or parent.[2][5] Gbla has stated that due to FGM’s debilitating effects on young girls and women, culture can not and should not be used as a defense for the abusive practice:
People want to hide behind their culture. Yeah, people do have a right to practice their culture—when it doesn’t harm a child. When it doesn’t harm a woman. When it doesn’t put somebody at risk. But when it does, we have to question the practice. It’s not judging the people. It’s questioning the practice, the act that’s been done. I don’t think culture should ever be a defence against FGM. It should never be: it’s child abuse. It’s violence against women. It’s a symptom of the patriarchy, which is universal across the world.[3]
Political Activism
To highlight the damaging effects of Female Genital Mutilation on the lives of young girls, No FGM Australia has advocated for young girls and women at all levels of Australian politics (both state and federal) to “raise awareness of FGM as an Australian issue, to influence legislation to help fund and support programs to protect girls at risk of FGM, and to support women who have survived the practice.” [6][7]
No FGM Australia works toward the eradication of FGM as a practice in Australia primarily by “raising awareness and generating data,” “providing education and resources for professionals and communities about protecting girls from FGM,” “Lobbying state and federal governments to increase safeguards for girls to protect them from FGM,” “Direct[ing] intervention through [their] organization to refer girls to police or child protection,” [and] “Educating and empowering survivors of FGM through a range of programs.”[1]
Petitions
2014 Change.org Petition
In 2014, Gbla started a change.org campaign to petition then Australian Prime minister Tony Abbott and Minister for Women Michaela Cash, urging them to “convene a cross-ministerial meeting by the end of 2015 to plan and align strategies to eliminate” FGM in Australia.[8]
The petition garnered 12,643 supporters, 2,357 supporters shy of its goal of 15,000.
The petition is currently closed.
2015 Change.org Petition
In 2015, Gbla started a change.org campaign to petition the Australian Medical Association and its President, Brian Owler, as well as the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.[9] The petition called for the training of surgeons to practice the surgical operation know as clitoral restoration.[9] Clitoral restoration surgery was a surgical operation pioneered by French Urologist Dr. Pierre Foldès in 2004.[9][10][11] The surgery helped FGM survivors "regain some of their sexual function, reduce the chronic pain associated with FGM, regain clitoral sensitivity [and] permit some to attain orgasm.”[10][11] In 2016, Gbla and her organization received news that the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists would not train their members “due to fear of harm” for the patients involved.[9] Upon hearing the news, Gbla and the organization promised to continued pushing for access to the surgery for Australian women.[9]
The petition garnered 14,636 supporters, 364 supporters shy of their goal of 15,000.
The petition is now closed.
Awards
No FGM Australia was recognized by the Australian Human Rights Commission for their advocacy work for FGM survivors and their "outstanding contribution to Human Rights."[12] All three directors, Gbla, Williams, and Ferrari were awarded the accolade on December 10, 2014, World Human Rights Day, by Professor Gillian Triggs, the president of the commission.[12]
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- "About Us - NOFGM AUSTRALIA | Protecting Girls Empowering Survivors". NOFGM AUSTRALIA | Protecting Girls Empowering Survivors. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- Gbla, Khadija. "Khadija Gbla | Speaker | TED.com". Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- ""I Became Infertile Because My Mother Chose To Do An Act That Caused That"". Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- author. "Women's Health Services, SA Health - Home". www.whs.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - "Khadija Gbla, Survivor of Female Genital Mutilation, Turned Her Anger with Injustice Into Action to Protect Girls at Risk of FGM - The AHA Foundation". The AHA Foundation. 2016-12-13. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
- "No FGM Australia". The Girl Generation. 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- 75, info@CambridgeWhosWho.com, max. "Paula Ferrari | No FGM Australia International". www.worldwidewhoswho.com. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
{{cite web}}:|last=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "Sign the petition to protect Australian girls from FGM| Protecting Girls Empowering Survivors". NOFGM AUSTRALIA | Protecting Girls Empowering Survivors. 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- "Female genital mutilation victims call for restorative surgery". ABC News. 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
- "Reconstructive surgery brings hope to survivors of genital cutting | Africa Renewal Online". www.un.org. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- "Reconstructive surgery gives hope to FGM survivors". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- "No FGM Australia recognised for outstanding contribution to human rights 2014| Protecting Girls Empowering Survivors". NOFGM AUSTRALIA | Protecting Girls Empowering Survivors. 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2017-01-17.