Model Waris Dirie today said she believed FGM will “disappear in my lifetime” as she unveiled a new video campaign directed by celebrity photographer Rankin.
The Somali-born activist, who was a victim of female genital mutilation when she was five, hopes the short film will “break the silence around this cruel practice” and make it clear “that enough is enough”.
Released today ahead of International Women’s Day tomorrow, the video was commissioned by lingerie brand Coco de Mer and features Dirie, her sons Aleeke, 20, and Leon, nine, and other men and women “declaring war” on FGM.
It includes the chilling statistic that “every seven seconds, a girl is at risk of being cut”.
The film was commissioned by Coco de Mer and produced by Rankin’s advertising agency The Full Service alongside Dirie’s Desert Flower Foundation, and sees the group holding King Protea flowers, which symbolise change and hope.
She told the Standard: “FGM is not culture, it is an abuse of human rights. An abuse that is committed against women the world over and which concerns everyone the world over. It is about power and control and demonstrates the deep-rooted inequality between the sexes. Our film strives to make it clear that enough is enough.”
Despite her urgency, Dirie said that there was cause for hope, pointing to a decline in rates of FGM in East Africa for girls under 14, and added: “Today many young mothers and fathers in Africa are abandoning the cruel practice. I am sure FGM will disappear in my lifetime.” By the end of the year she hopes to have 10 million signatures on a petition to eradicate FGM, before presenting it to the UN.
Dirie added: “Lucy Litwack, the CEO of Coco de Mer, approached me to collaborate as Coco de Mer has always stood for the empowerment of women and this cause is one that is very close to their hearts.
“The importance of female pleasure has always been at the forefront of Coco de Mer’s values and FGM is a direct disabler of this – and that is why this campaign is so important to us.
“The film will bring FGM back into people’s minds and I am sure we will collect millions of signatures for our petition.”
Last night MP Nicky Morgan attended an event in Parliament, hosted by the Freedom Charity, which heard testimony from FGM survivors.
