The Chopra Foundation launches campaign against female genital mutilation

The Chopra Foundation and the Never Alone Initiative alongside the tech-based social impact start-up Seva.Love and the African organisation The Girl Generation have launched a campaign against female genital mutilation.

The Chopra Foundation, a US NPO conducting scientific research on health and wellbeing, has announced the partnership in an effort to put an end to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and empower survivors and women at-risk with the education, tools and resources they need to navigate the societal, emotional, spiritual and physical complexities of this issue.

The Chopra Foundation, Never Alone and Seva.Love will be deploying an awareness and fundraising campaign over the next year intended to ignite a global dialogue around this issue, while raising the funds needed to tackle it by rallying the web3 community.

FGM/C, a practice that refers to the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons, is often performed without anaesthesia or proper aftercare and has no benefits for girls or women.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is estimated that more than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and that seven girls are cut every minute.

Mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15, the practice is a violation of the human rights of girls and women, says WHO.

Dr Leyla Hussein, global advocacy director and deputy team leader for The Girl Generation and FGM survivor, said: “This partnership is extremely critical as it demonstrates that we will show up for African girls.

“FGM is violence and leaves long-life physical and emotional scars. We are ready for a global movement that will end FGM.”

Despite the frequency of the practice, FGM/C continues to live in the shadows and receives little representation at global level, Hussein says.

The collaboration is hoped to dismantle the structures that enable FGM/C to exist and provide survivors and those at risk with the tools and resources needed to live safe, healthy lives.

“FGM is a relic of barbaric times,” said Dr Deepak Chopra, founder of the foundation.

“There should be no tolerance for this procedure, and it needs to be a criminal offence wherever it continues to be practiced.

“The Chopra Foundation is committed to raising awareness around this brutal custom and eliminating it for all of time.”

Poonacha Machaiah, CEO of the Chopra Foundation and Seva.Love, said: “We must make every effort to eradicate this inhumane practice.

“Millions have already been traumatised by FGM and this practice must end.”

Humanitarian and Never Alone Initiative co-founder, Gabriella Wright, said: “We owe it to our future generations to take care of each other now.

“Let’s break this cycle of trauma for a global collective healing that can sustain humanity and the planet. Everyone matters in this journey.”