Saturday, March 08, 2014
Fahma Mohamed’s incredible journey from Bristol schoolgirl to the global figurehead of the movement to end female genital mutilation (FGM) took another extraordinary step yesterday when she met United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon.
It is the start of the international campaign to end FGM, with Ban pledging that he will use the scope of the UN to promote the campaign.
The meeting came only one week after 17-year-old Fahma and other members of equality charity Integrate Bristol met education minister Michael Gove who promised to write to every headteacher in the country to draw attention to safeguarding guidelines and provide specific information about FGM.
City Academy pupil Fahma is one of nine girls in a Somali family that came to the UK when she was seven.
Her FGM petition on Change.org reached more than 234,000 signatures and led to the Guardian to lend their weight behind the campaign, which Ban praised as “creative and courageous”.