Refugee Roundtable: Spotlight on Female Genital Cutting
Refugee Roundtable: Spotlight on Female Genital Cutting
San Diego State University
Tuesday, February 6
Public Welcome, Free of Charge
In observance of International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM» ( female genital mutilation ), Nile Sisters Development Initiative ( NSDI ) will host Refugee Roundtable: Spotlight on Female Genital Cutting ( FGC ), a discussion featuring Dr. Nina Smart, global activist against FGC. FGC and FGM are used interchangeably.
In 2004, Dr. Smart founded Servicing Wild Flowers ( SWF ), a Los-Angeles-based nonprofit organization that specializes in educating immigrant communities and eradicating the practice of female genital mutilation in Sierra Leone ( West Africa ). For her tireless advocacy, Dr. Smart was chosen as 2016 Woman of the Year» by California Senator Tony Mendoza ( District 32 ) and honored by the United States Congress.
Dr. Smart inspires others by sharing her story, Wild Flower», and she moves others to action by offering opportunities to collaborate on effective solutions to end FGM in a non-violent way.
Dr. Smart’s United Nations ( UN ) participation includes 2016 International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, at which Secretary General Ban Ki-moon coined the phrase “Education not Mutilation” to emphasize the importance of ending FGM worldwide. And, in 2018, Dr. Smart will be a member of and speaker for Soroptimist International at an event held in conjunction with sixty-second session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women» ( CSW62 ).
FGC has been practiced for several thousand years, yet scientific research to determine why the practice continues today and the full extent of its impact upon health is limited. Globally, an estimated 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGC. The practice violates a woman’s right to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.
Event Details and Registration»
Defenseless Against Female Genital Cutting»
