On 11 October 2021 – the  International Day of the Girl Child – the CHAIN project partners, ActionAid International Italia Onlus (Milan, Italy), Equipop (Paris, France), TERRE DES FEMMES (Berlin, Germany), Save a Girl, Save a Generation (Madrid, Spain) and the End FGM European Network (Brussels, Belgium) will be launching a European awareness-raising campaign on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Early and Forced Marriage (EFM). Although EFM can also affect young men and boys, these harmful practices primarily affect young women and girls and result in long-lasting damage to their quality of life.

The CHAIN for Change Campaign is designed towards affected communities and highlights the consequences of FGM and EFM. Building on the concept of “local intervention chains” at the core of the CHAIN project, the videos aim at convincing parents and affected communities to stop the generational cycle of violence by saying “no” to both harmful practices.

“Traditions and a Harmful Practice” is based on the difference between traditions, which are to be celebrated, and FGM, which is a harmful practice that must end. Characters come together to debunk the false justifications behind the practice and warn about its severe consequences.

 

 

“Another choice is possible” shows that EFM is practised in the hope that the child complies with what the community expects of them. Yet, it only provokes pain and resentment. A brighter future is possible if children are given the freedom to make their own choices.

 

 

 

The two animated videos, co-created with Boniato Studio & The InkLink and with the participation of affected community members (so called Community Trainers), are intended to raise awareness without judgement and with a care for cultural sensitivity.

The videos are available with a voiceover and subtitles in English and four European languages (German, Italian, French and Spanish), as well as six additional community languages (Arabic, Bambara, Roma, Somali, Tigrinya, Urdu). The community voiceovers were done in-house by the End FGM European Network with volunteer community members, to make the messages more accessible to all.

This International Day of the Girl, #JoinOurChain against FGM and EFM by sharing the Chain for Change Campaign!

 

The Chain Project Partners