Senegal – Let’s say stop to excision and no to violence against girls

Let’s say stop to excision and no to violence against girls

Status: In progress | Number of beneficiaries: 105 000 girls

Project duration: 2017/2027, 11 years

Location: Department of Matam, Senegal

Project financed under a framework agreement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Local partner

Youth and Development (JED) / Scouts and Girl Scouts of Senegal (EEDS) is a development NGO created in 1936, and established in all regions of Senegal, inspired by Scout values, serving young people and the community. Its mission is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the populations, mainly in the field of health, education, socio-economic integration and the environment, by preparing young people in particular for their role of active and responsible citizens in synergy with the Girl Scouts and Scouts of Senegal.Its areas of intervention are:

• youth education,
• the health,
• citizen participation,
• the living environment of vulnerable groups,
• the protection of the environment,
• hygiene, water and sanitation,
• training and microcredit.

The problem

Matam is known to be an endemic focus of certain types of gender-based violence (GBV) and female genital mutilation (FGM). The most recurrent type in girls is excision: 38% are victims! Excision is the most widespread practice in Senegal, it is rooted in the community because of its prevalence and culture in initiation rites. The consequences of these practices are dramatic, from a psychological point of view, but also medical with many and frequent health complications, some of which are fatal.

Objectives / Activities

The project aims to propel a community dynamic to stop the silence around excision. The aim is to encourage the participation of the community in order to greatly reduce the number of excisions, to lessen the suffering of the victims and also to support the practicing women in the abandonment of these practices.Activities put in place:

• Conducting a baseline study / census of victims of circumcision or potential victims
• Awareness of girls and their parents, as well as community actors
• Listening, accompaniment, watch and protection of children
• Education and support for young girls and vocational training
• Identification and follow-up of circumcisers aiming at the abandonment of the practice (home visits, Entrepreneurship training, assistance to income-generating activities …)
• Medical, psycho-social and legal care.

Beneficiaries

• Direct beneficiaries: 22,170 people:
  • 105,000 girls
  • 65,000 children and parents of children
  • 80 excisors
  • 390 community leaders from 10 villages
  • 300 local authorities
• Indirect beneficiaries: all the population of the targeted areas

---