Kadiatou

KADIATOU*

"I was cut at the age of six. That day, my grandmother told me to get up very early and to get ready for a ceremony. After this day, my misery started. My mother died when I was nine years old and I was left to myself in the household with the other wives of my father. I was rejected and mistreated, serving as a housemaid to all. When my stepmother wanted to give me in marriage, my father did not resist. She said that the man was a wealthy merchant; this marriage would allow all of us to be fed. She told me that if I would not get married, I would bring down the whole family.

At the age of 14 I was given in marriage to this old man, whom I didn’t love and who had two more wives. I bore him a daughter. From the day she was born, I feared that my mother-in-law would seize her. I decided that my daughter would be spared the torture that I had lived. Until one day, I took my daughter and ran away from the village to the capital. An aunt helped us to escape from Guinea.

When I arrived at the asylum office, I had to tell my life history to a stranger, a man. I was unable to talk openly about what I had suffered. I did not want to bring shame on my family. Did he even know what I was saving my daughter from? Would he understand the pain I had suffered from my marriage?”  

*Fictional story based on facts
 

WHAT CAN THE EUROPEAN UNION DO?

FGM is recognised as a child-specific and gender-specific persecution, on the basis of which, the European Union must grant asylum to those women and girls at risk. However some EU countries have a restricted understanding of the grounds to claim asylum. The EU should ensure that the grounds for seeking asylum on the basis of child or gender-specific persecution are strengthened.

Moreover, asylum officers should be trained on the issue of FGM and the relevant vocabulary in different regions. A culturally-sensitive approach is necessary to take into account the needs and rights of asylum seekers on the grounds of FGM as established by the UNHCR principles.
 

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Join us in our demand to the EU to strengthen international protection for those fleeing from the risk of female genital mutilation.

Show your support for END FGM European Campaign’s call for an inclusive EU-wide strategy to bring FGM to an end.
 

ACT NOW: Sign the petition!