Orchid Project

Join our webinar on Thursday, April 24th 2pm-3:30pm East Africa Time (EAT). https://ow.ly/i9VM50Vuviv We'll be sharing three new publications focusing on FGM/C in the Horn of Africa. These practical resources are a result of  a process of knowledge sharing dialogues with practitioners, academics, researchers, policymakers and activists across the Horn of Africa. The launch event will include two short presentations - one on the knowledge sharing dialogue process we utilised within this project and one to introduce the three resources. A panel discussion will follow a multi-disciplinary panel including Mohamed Yusuf from Rescomade, Rukio Omar from Belt of Somali Women; Yasir Mohamed from Silver Lining Kenya; and Amal Ahmed from Somaliland Family Health Association (SOFHA). We will ensure sufficient time for Q+A and your input following the panel discussion. Register here: https://ow.ly/i9VM50Vuviv #EndFGMC #EndFGM

Make sure you register for our webinar on the 4th April: https://lnkd.in/gBGf9js9 Alongside Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Equality Now and the Asia Network to End FGM/C, we're hosting a webinar on 'Understanding the Medicalisation of FGM/C: Impacts, Challenges and Solutions.' You can find the registration link and the event details below⬇️ 📅 Date: 4 April, 2025 ⏰ Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM GMT 🔗Register here: https://lnkd.in/gBGf9js9

In the second week of #CSW69, we were grateful to co-host the Asia Network's event 'Same Same but different: Nuancing the Practice of FGM/C in Asia' alongside Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW). Asia holds 35% of the global FGM/C burden, with over 80 million girls and women living with FGM/C. As part of an informative and engaging panel, Anne Morin from Orchid Project gave an overview of FGM/C across the region using valuable insights from our recent series of reports. Key takeaways include: - Over 90% of the Malay ethnic community practice FGC, one of the highest prevalence rates in the world. - Indonesia is most impacted- UNICEF estimate that 70 million women and girls have been impacted by FGM/C in Indonesia. - There is no Legislation against FGC, except in Indonesia under the following: Government Regulation No. 28/2024 (article 102(a)) banning FGC for children under 5 Ministry of Health Regulation No. of 2025 to eliminate FGC practices which physically harm the reproductive system. The targeted population is girls and women of all ages. No other Asian countries have laws explicitly banning the practice, effectively making female genital cutting legal across the region. -There is a real lack of data. The Maldives and Indonesia are the only Asian countries to include FGM/C in their population surveys resulting in a lack of reliable data across the region. To find out more about FGC in Asia, you can find our in depth research here: https://ow.ly/ob5e50Vp5vG #EndFGC #FGCAsia #EndFGMC

Last week we were proud to co-host a parallel event at #CSW69 as part of the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C. The theme was reframing FGM/C through an Intersectional Lens. 🎤 Dr Leyla Siirad Hussein Gikandi carried out an impactful session on the power of language, drawing from her personal experience and outlining some key takeaways from The Girl Generation's report. 🔎 James Rockey joined us from University of Birmingham to share the key findings from his paper with Heather D. Flowe which shows that #FGMC results in 44,320 deaths a year in the countries in Africa they researched. A triangle was rung every 12 minutes to represent that 1 girl dies every 12 minutes from this human rights violation. This makes FGM/C the 4th leading cause of death for women and girls in these countries. This research is key in reframing FGM/C as a pandemic of violence requiring immediate global action. We have paired up with James and Heather to launch our policy brief on their paper which you can find linked here: https://ow.ly/pFjx50Vm5js The panel also discussed FGM/C as a global issue and the need to expose the manipulative narrative around FGM/C in anti-rights agenda. 💜 The room was filled with over 100 people and there were plenty of questions from the audience and audience participation. The session was a powerful reminder of how collective action is key to ending FGM/C. Thank you to everyone who participated, co-hosted and attended. End FGM EU End FGM Canada Network End FGC Singapore The U.S. End FGM/C Network Sahiyo Anush Aghabalyan #EndFGMC #CSW69

Swipe to explore impactful events from CSW69 and key takeaways! 🎤 We heard powerful voices from young women activists across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Plan International 🤝 Joined stakeholders to discuss institutional mechanisms for preventing and combating gender-based violence. UN Women 👥 Attended the Civil Society meeting with EU Commissioner on Equality, Ms. Hadja Lahbib. 🗣️ Participated in a key discussion on eliminating violence against women, organized by the EU and Group of Friends. 🚺 Engaged in a vital conversation on accelerating efforts to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). 🌍 We organized the "Reframing FGM/C through an Intersectional Lens" event together with the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C. This underscored FGM/C as a global crisis with severe health risks, including life-threatening complications, and highlighted its use in anti-rights and xenophobic narratives. The event also featured The Hidden Toll report, revealing a girl dies every 12 minutes due to FGM/C, emphasizing the urgency to eradicate it by 2030. 💜 Huge thanks to all our partners for making this event a success! Sahiyo The Girl Generation End FGM Canada Network Orchid Project The U.S. End FGM/C Network In a time of rising backlash against gender equality and human rights, these spaces are vital for fostering dialogue and strengthening our commitment to ending FGM/C. 🌟 Let's keep working together to build a future free from FGM! #CSW69 #ENDFGM #SteppingUpThePeace #AccelerateAction #Beijing30

We'll be co-hosting a parallel event at CSW69 with Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) for the Asia Network to End FGM/C. You can find the details here: 📅 Date: 17 Match, 2025 ⏰ 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM EDT 📍Venue: Church Center United Nations (CCUN), 10th Floor, New York 🔗RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/g37RsKHn

As part of the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C, we're pleased to invite you to to our collaborative CSW69 parallel event. 🔹 SAVE THE DATE 🗓️ Date: March 13th, 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM EST 📍 Location: UN Church Centre, New York (in-person only) Register here: https://lnkd.in/ervdWEHt We will discuss FGM/C as a global crisis, its significant health risks, and address harmful practices like 'labia pulling' and the 'husband stitch'. The event will also explore how FGM/C is used in anti-rights and xenophobic narratives, and the urgent need to shift perceptions to eradicate FGM/C by 2030. #EndFGMC

On this International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), the Asia Network to End FGM/C highlights the need to eliminate this harmful practice in Asia. We echo the United Nation’s theme of 2025: to strengthen alliances and build movements to End FGM/C. #Unite2EndFGM #endfgm #endfgc #endfgmc

12 minutes, that’s how long until another girl dies. #ALifeCutShort by FGM/C. Unreported, unseen, unknown… but the world should know. So share this message. Every second counts. Because in just eleven minutes, another girl’s life will be cut short. We thank our amazing ally and dedicated activist to end FGM/C, Hoda M Ali for the amazing voice over and for being an integral part of spreading awareness of James Rockey and Heather D. Flowe's research findings. We also thank Human After All for creating our video and for their generous support of our mission. #EndFGM #EndFGMC

12 minutes, that’s how long until another girl dies. #ALifeCutShort by FGM/C. Unreported, unseen, unknown… but the world should know. So share this message. Every second counts. Because in just eleven minutes, another girl’s life will be cut short. We thank our amazing ally and dedicated activist to end FGM/C, Hoda M Ali for the amazing voice over and for being an integral part of spreading awareness of James Rockey and Heather D. Flowe's research findings. We also thank Human After All for creating our video and for their generous support of our mission. #EndFGM #EndFGMC