It’s early morning in the village where Batula and her parents live, and as is the norm, everyone is woken up by the call for prayer. As early as thirty minutes past seven, her grandmother shows up carrying concoctions and some herbs. Batula asks her grandmother what those things are used for: “This will help you heal faster after transforming you into a woman”. This is a seven-year-old girl who is supposed to be playing but something horrendous is about to happen to her.
For decades, thousands of women have perpetrated, perpetuated, and been punished by female genital mutilation. When Batula witnessed young females, between the ages of 7 and 15, bursting into their home with their parents, she became perplexed. All of these girls will be subjected to this gruesome activity. The fact that it happens to a child makes it one of the worst nightmares that any woman may experience.
Besides the horrendous pain that Batula will go through, her emotional and mental health will also be damaged. She could even develop mental health issues such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a condition many victims of FGM experience and which is characterized by a distressing obsession with flaws in one’s appearance, leading to excessive self-criticism and lack of self-esteem.
When the moment arrives the circumciser asks Batula “Open your legs young girl” Tears cascading her soft cheeks, not understanding what they are doing to her. She tries to escape but she is held by two ladies, her mother and her aunt. Each holding one of her feeble legs. Batula retaliates until they put a piece of cloth in her mouth to stop her from screaming. She faces the knife, and an important part of her body is now among the trash that the stray cats look out for. The same process is repeated for up to 10 young girls, some of them willing because of the lectures given by their older aunts and their mothers about the matter.
Mental health is one of the crucial topics of our generation and is, in fact, one area that should be given greater attention. Batula’s community does not recognize mental health at all. According to them, depression does not exist. One can literally be at their lowest, and one of their own family members would comfortably say “She has demons”. “She is possessed”. This is one of the things FGM does to a young girl. It destroys her mental health as well, and it kills her will to exist on this earth. At her age, Batula is supposed to be enjoying her childhood just as normal children in the world do, but sadly, that is not the case for many young girls like her, who are forced to “act like women” at that age. “Sit upright, aren’t you a girl?” is one of the constant phrases you are likely to hear in such a household.
A few years later another ordeal befalls Batula, she is defiled by her uncle at the age of 10 in their own home and the issue is solved by a group of elderly men. This is known as “maslaha” and is the main perpetrator of the crimes committed against girls in Batula’s community. In her community crimes such as defilement and rape are not taken to court because they believe that such issues will bring shame to the community, they, therefore, invite the elders of the community, and money is paid by the perpetrator of the crime or they marry off the victim to the perpetrator and in Batula’s case the council of elders decided to marry her off to the perpetrator of the crime when she becomes older.
With this kind of unstable mind, Batula will turn 15, and she will be “ready” to get married off to one of the uncles who defiled her at the age of 10. At the age of 15, she is forced into marriage, and worse, she is married to someone who committed a crime against her. She is now forced to coexist with someone who wronged her, and society makes this feel right. Batula’s childhood has been snatched from her, and as if that was not enough, she will now spend her teenage years as a wife to a man three times her age. At that tender age, she is obligated to act as a wife and to cater to ‘wifely duties’. At the age of 17, Batula most probably will become a mother; she is supposed to take care of children, and because Batula is not aware of the crimes committed against her due to a lack of education, her children would go through the same path of life.
Education is the solution. It is the only tool that can demystify such destructive cultural habits. Education that will prioritize the younger generation, particularly young girls like Batula. With education, Batula would be able to understand the distinction between religion and culture, she would be aware of her rights as a girl, and contribute to change by promoting education in the children she raises.
I am a survivor of Female Genital Mutilation and I believe if my parents went to school and were educated this could have been prevented. I had the opportunity to go to school and learn a lot and with that, I am not taking this gruesome activity to my generation. As a young girl who grew up in a marginalized community education has changed how I see things and would advocate for education for young girls like Batula. Educating young girls like Batula could save a whole generation from the FGM pandemic.
By: Ikran (Young Kenyan Advocate for Child Rights)
The post From Victim to Advocate: Breaking the Cycle of FGM appeared first on Arigatou International.
Announcement of the GNRC Sixth Forum
On behalf of Arigatou International and the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC), I am pleased to announce that the GNRC Sixth Forum will be convened from November 19 – 21, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The Forum will be hosted by our partners, the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities.
The GNRC was inaugurated in 2000 by my father, the late Rev. Takeyasu Miyamoto, out of his strong conviction that it is the moral responsibility of people of all faiths to protect the lives of children and ensure their safe and sound development. He proposed that people of every faith and religion join hands and work together, regardless of differences, to build a better world for children.
Since then, the GNRC has expanded and GNRC forums have grown into major global platforms for addressing children’s issues through interfaith cooperation. We expect at least 600 participants, including 100 children, to attend the Sixth Forum in person, and an equal number of virtual attendees. Children have always had a clear voice in GNRC global forums, and as at previous forums, they will take part in a Children’s Forum before the main Forum.
As we look at today’s world, it is heartbreaking that so many children are losing their precious lives in wars and conflicts that they did not start, and so many others suffer in poverty and other difficulties not of their making, enduring great physical, mental, and spiritual harm. The efforts of religious communities, especially interfaith cooperation for the sake of the world’s children, are more urgently needed than ever, especially in the divisive atmosphere the world is facing now.
I pray that the upcoming GNRC Forum will inspire greater cooperation and dedication among religious communities and other key actors in the international community to shape a better future for children. It is my sincere hope that our shared effort to build a better environment for children will become a major step on the path towards a peaceful world for everyone.
Keishi Miyamoto (Rev)
President of Arigatou International
Convenor of the Global Network of Religions for Children
The post GNRC Sixth Forum Official Announcement appeared first on Arigatou International.
Lancement du projet Amani Kwanza
Le 18 Mars 2015, la GNRC-Tanzanie en partenariat avec le Conseil Inter – religieux pour la paix en Tanzanie (IRCPT) et le Comité européen pour l’éducation et l’agriculture (CEFA) ont lancé le projet Amani Kwanza à la salle Karimjee de Dar es Salam.
Etaient présents pour l’occasion, des chefs religieux de la Tanzanie, les chefs de gouvernement locaux, des représentants de la communauté diplomatique, des représentants de la société civile, les médias et les jeunes.
De gauche à droite : Mme Mwase (GNRC), Rev. Cannon Godda (IRCPT), Sheikh Mussa Alhaj, l’hon. Saïd Meck Sadiq (invite d’honneur), Sa Grâce l’évêque Kilaini, l’Ambassadeur Olivier Chave (Ambassadeur de Suisse en Tanzanie) et Sr Jean Pruitt (GNRC TZ Fondatrice)
Dans ses remarques préliminaires, la coordinatrice de la GNRC-Tanzanie a fait un bref survol du projet et les partenaires qui y participent. Elle indiquant que les partenaires reconnaissent que la paix est une condition préalable pour le développement durable à tous les niveaux, individuel, communal et national. C’est dans ce but précis le projet Amani Kwanza a été conçu. Celui-ci est un programme de prévention multisectorielle qui vise à bâtir la résilience des communautés contre la menace de l’extrémisme violent. Le projet vise également à promouvoir un esprit de compréhension, de coexistence pacifique et de dialogue entre les citoyens Tanzaniens et à éliminer les obstacles sur la voie de la paix et du développement. Ceci, en essayant de :
i. Renforcer la paix et l’encadrement pour le dialogue interreligieux en Tanzanie
ii. Accroitre les capacités des médias à contribuer au renforcement de la paix et à la résolution des conflits, en particulier, dans la perspective des prochaines élections générales ;
iii. Jeter les bases de la création d’un mécanisme national d’alerte précoce de conflit; et finalement
iv. Améliorer les conditions pour la tenue d’élections libres et équitables et d’accroître l’intérêt de l’électorat d’y participer de manière active et pacifique
Le Rev. Cannon Thomas Godda, Directeur Executif de l’IRCPT
Le directeur exécutif de l’IRCPT, chanoine Thomas Godda a donné une description détaillée du projet, y compris les activités et les résultats attendus du projet. Il a souligné que c’est un projet pilote qui sera mis en œuvre à Dar es-Salaam, Pwani, Arusha, Mbeya, Mwanza, Kigoma, Tanga et Zanzibar.
Les chefs religieux ont indiqué leur soutien au projet Amani Kwanza, tout en reconnaissant qu’il est venu au bon moment. Dans ses remarques, Sheikh Mussa Alhaji, chef religieux de Dar es Salaam (Conseil Suprême des Musulmans de Tanzanie) a souligné que le fondement de la paix exige l’égalité, l’observation des droits de l’homme, le respect, le pardon, l’amour et la tolérance.
Le Rev. Stephanie Franz (ECT ECD) et le Sheikh Alhaj Mussa (BAKWATA)
Le Rev. Stephanie Franz, représentant du Conseil évangélique luthérienne de Tanzanie (CCT) a salué le message de paix se référant au Psaume 133 : 1 tout en soulignant la nécessité que nous devons tous coexister.
Son Excellence l’Ambassadeur Olivier Chave, ambassadeur de Suisse en Tanzanie et principal bailleur de fonds du projet, souligna le fait que la paix doit être nourrie car il ne tombe pas du ciel. Il a reconnu que nous vivons dans une époque dangereuse où le manque d’éducation et d’emploi peut conduire à la violence extrême. Il a mis l’emphase sur la nécessité de renforcer la capacité à tolérer et à aimer l’autre.
Sa Grace l’évêque Kilaini et son excellence l’ambassadeur Olivier Chave
Quand a sa Grâce, l’évêque Méthod Kilaini, co-patron du projet Amani Kwanza, il exprima le sentiment qu’il n’y a rien d’aussi bon que de rassembler des gens de différentes pensées pour la paix.
De gauche a droit: le Sheikh Alhaj Mussa, l’honorable Said Meck Sadiq (le commissaire régional de Dar es Salaam) et sa Grace l’évêque Kilaini.
L’invité d’honneur, l’honorable Saïd Meck Sadiq, commissaire régional de Dar es Salaam, a axé son discours sur la jeunesse car c’est le groupe le plus vulnérable à la violence. En outre, il a expliqué comment des hommes et des femmes en souffrent : les jeunes hommes sont envoyés au front alors que les jeunes femmes sont violées et forcées à se marier. Il a souligné que lorsque la violence s’empare d’un peuple, il ne s’arrête pas car la violence est aveugle. Tous seront touches et nous devons donc maintenir la paix.
L’événement a été diffusé sur des chaines télés dont Channel 10, Sibuka TV, Tumaini télévision et TBC. Il est également apparu dans les journaux suivants : Uhuru, The Guardian, Majira, Mwananchi, Nipashe, Raia, Mtanzania et la Tanzanie Daima.
The post Lancement du projet Amani Kwanza appeared first on Arigatou International.
From the closure of schools to the increase in violence and poverty, millions of children worldwide have been affected by the direct and indirect effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Girls and young women might be among the most vulnerable due to inequality and discrimination, as was exposed by Mwanaid, a 14 years-old girl from Tanzania, during a virtual dialogue between children from her country and from Bosnia & Herzegovina, held on Saturday, August 21.
“During the pandemic, things have been harder for girls as they are doing more work at home than boys. While the boys are sent out to play, the girls are asked to wash the dishes or clean the house” explained Mwanaid during the session organized for children to reflect on the impacts of Covid-19. She also pointed out that many girls are being exposed to child labor, and other forms of exploitation, as their families, have been plunged into poverty due to the pandemic.
Emira, e 15 years old from Bosnia & Herzegovina also mentioned how violence against children has increased during this time. “Some children are victims of abuse at home, if they cannot go to school they cannot report if they have problems at their homes”.
Before engaging in a dialogue, the children from the two countries had the opportunity to have a virtual tour through the 3D exhibition Faith in Action for Children launched by Arigatou International in November 2020. This online space collects articles, paintings, and multimedia pieces produced by more than 150 children from around the world, sharing their thoughts and feelings about the pandemic and how it has impacted their lives.
The participants reflected on how similar their experiences are. As it was put by Amina, a 15 years-old girl from Bosnia & Herzegovina, despite being in different regions of the world all children have similar feelings and concerns about the pandemic. “We all want a normal life again,” she said and added that all children are eager to return to in-person classes. “It is easier to forget what we’ve learned online than when we learn it face-to-face”.
Imani, 14 years old from Tanzania, reported the same “we lose a lot of time with online classes” and Sajra, 10 years old from Bosnia & Herzegovina, also added that having to study this way is very stressful for children. “And other children give up in continuing going to school”, mentioned Lulu, a 16 years-old girl from Tanzania.
This dialogue was part of the monthly sessions that Arigatou International has been organizing during 2021 to foster interfaith and intercultural sensitivity among children from different cultures, religions, and ethnic backgrounds by sharing their views and experiences during the pandemic.
The session involved around 15 children, and it would not have been possible without the coordination and support of GNRC members in the two countries. Our special thanks to Zvonimora Jakic and Ismeta Begic in Bosnia & Herzegovina, and to Joyce Mdachi, Venance Temu in Tanzania for all the support and assistance provided to children to be able to join the online session.
The post “Things have been harder for girls” during the Covid-19 pandemic appeared first on Arigatou International.
