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Bradley
This high rate persists despite the efforts of a
large number of organisations – global, national and
governmental – which has resulted in a complex web of
policies and interventions owing to each organisation
being focused on its own approach.
Professor Bradley says these attempts range from
public health campaigns and community advocacy work
to the ‘medicalisation’ of FGM, in which the removal of
tissue is performed by a medically trained practitioner
rather than a traditional ‘cutter’.
As Professor Bradley sees it, these interventions have
missed an important driver of change: the young men
and youth networks that are challenging FGM from
within Sudanese societies.
“Young men increasingly declare that they do not
want to marry cut girls, saying they prefer uncut girls
because they are healthier and stronger,” Professor
Bradley says. “Young women are also challenging
FGM, arguing that it violates their sexual identity and
expression.”
Youth is providing some of the most effective triggers
for changing the minds of families that support FGM,
yet research has found that their viewpoint is being
squeezed aside by a focus on top-down change. “To
effectively address FGM, the process should be bottomup,
as it’s a cultural issue,” Professor Bradley says.
New map drawn
Professor Bradley’s eye for this overlooked but highly
significant detail is providing a new a map for moving