Good afternoon, YouthMundees!
IVA in association with YouthMundus is thrilled about our latest partner addition, Equality Now. This non-governmental organization was founded in 1992 with a purpose to work "for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls around the world".
Equality Now provides international framework for spreading awareness and providing support to local grassroots groups. The organization lists its primary concerns as being sexual violence, trafficking of women, "harmful practices", and discrimination in law.
HARMFUL PRACTICES Harmful Practices is an all-encompassing term used by the United Nations to categorize forms of violence or ritual discrimination, primarily committed against girls and women that have become culturally normalized.
There is no comprehensive list of harmful practices, however some of the most common include:
Female genital mutilation (FGM) Child and forced marriage“Honor” crimesFemale infanticide Bride kidnapping Stoning PolygamyVirginity tests.
CHILD MARRIAGE
Child Marriage is defined as a marriage of a girl or boy before the age of 18 and refers to both formal marriages and informal unions. Child marriage violates children’s rights and places them at high risk of violence, exploitation, and abuse.
Since 1995, Equality Now has been working to create a safer, healthier world for girls by calling on governments to enact and uphold laws, policies and programs that prevent “child marriage” and to address the gender inequalities that drive it.
FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
FGM is the partial or complete removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is mostly carried out without anesthetic on girls between infancy and age 15. FGM has zero health benefits and often results in lifelong health problems, increased risks during childbirth, psychological trauma, and even death.
FGM is a global CHILD ABUSE issue. In 2016, UNICEF reported that over 200 million girls and women have undergone FGM, and 30 million are at risk over the next decade. In 2015, 193 countries agreed to include a target in the Sustainable Development Goals to eliminate FGM by 2030
Equality Now has been at the forefront of efforts to end FGM, pushing for laws that protect girls and criminalize the practice, and supporting grassroots activists working to end FGM in their communities.
If you would like to support Equality Now and their work, please visit their website here
Thank you for following Team IVA and Team YouthMundus on this amazing journey. We deeply appreciate your constant support.
With all our love and gratitude, #TeamYouthMundus and #TeamIVA