Harmful Practices (E.G., Female Genital Mutilation, Child Marriage)_GBV

 Harmful Practices (E.G., Female Genital Mutilation, Child Marriage)

Harmful practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage have been prevalent in many societies for centuries, perpetuating gender inequality and violating the rights of women and girls. These practices have devastating physical, emotional, and psychological consequences that can last a lifetime. 

Female genital mutilation is a cultural practice that involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is typically performed on young girls between infancy and adolescence, often without their consent. FGM has no health benefits and can cause severe pain, bleeding, infection, infertility, complications during childbirth, and even death. In addition to the physical harm it causes, FGM also has lasting psychological effects on survivors, including trauma, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and difficulties in intimate relationships.

Child marriage is another harmful practice that robs girls of their childhoods and denies them their rights to education, health care, and autonomy. It refers to any formal or informal union where one or both parties are under 18. Child brides are often forced into marriage by their families for economic reasons or cultural traditions. They are more likely to experience domestic violence, early pregnancy complications such as fistulae, or maternal mortality due to lack of access to proper healthcare services.

Efforts to eradicate harmful practices such as FGM and child marriage have gained momentum in recent years through international conventions like the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These initiatives aim to raise awareness about the negative impacts of these practices on individuals' health and well-being while promoting gender equality.

Governments around the world have also implemented laws banning FGM and child marriage to protect women's rights. However, enforcement remains challenging due to deeply rooted cultural beliefs perpetuating these harmful traditions.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a crucial role in providing support services for survivors of FGM and child marriage while advocating for policy changes at the local level. They work closely with communities affected by these practices to raise awareness about their harmful effects while offering alternative rites of passage ceremonies that celebrate women's empowerment without resorting to harmful rituals.

Harmful practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM)and child marriage continue to violate women's rights around the world despite efforts being made towards eradication. Governments, NGOs, communities, religious leaders, healthcare providers, educators, parents, boys/men alike need to come together in solidarity against these practices by raising awareness about their detrimental effects while promoting gender equality through education programs aimed at empowering women/girls economically/socially/psychologically thereby breaking cycles perpetuating these traditions from generation-to-generation ensuring every woman/girl lives free from harm/discrimination/oppression enabling them reach full potential contributing society at large positively benefiting all humanity equally regardless gender/orientation/race/religion/nationality/status, etc..