Jaha Dukureh

Jaha Dukureh (born 1989 or 1990)[1][2] is a Gambian women’s right activist and anti-female genital mutilation campaigner.[1] Dukureh became the first UN Women Goodwill Ambasaddor for Africa. [3] Dukureh was subjected to female genital mutilation in The Gambia when she was a little more than a week old.[2] She is the founder and executive director of Safe Hands for Girls, an organization working to end FGM,[4] and was the lead campaigner in The Guardian's End FGM Guardian Global Media Campaign.[5] In April 2016, she was named to the 2016 Time 100 list.[6] [7] Dukureh was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in February of 2018 by Norwegian Politician Jette F. Christensen. [8]. A feature film about Jaha’s life called Jaha's Promise [9] was released by Accidental Pictures and The Guardian; a TV version of the film has already been shown in more than 10 countries will also be shown in FGM-practising countries, distributed by First Hand Films.

Early life

Dukureh was born in The Gambia. She was subjected to Type III female genital mutiliation when she was one week old.[1] After her mother's death, she moved to New York City at the age of 15 for an arranged marriage that had been planned years earlier.[1][10] After experiencing difficulty consummating her marriage, she underwent surgery to undo the infibulation, which she likened to "[going] through the FGM all over again".[1][2] Dukureh's marriage dissolved and she moved in with family members. She managed to enrol in a New York City high school after being rejected by 10 other schools because she did not have the consent of a legal guardian.[1] At 17, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and remarried.[1]

Dukureh earned a Bachelor's degree in business administration management at Georgia Southwestern State University in 2013.[11] That year, she founded Safe Hands for Girls, an anti-FGM non-profit organization.[12][2] Dukureh became an American citizen in late 2015.[2] Dukureh also has a Master's degree in Non-Profit Management from The University of Central Florida in 2018. [13]

Dukureh's activism led to the banning of female genital mutilation in The Gambia.[14][12]

Dukureh currently resides in Atlanta.[1] As of June 2016, The Guardian developed a film about Dukureh's life.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Topping, Alexandra (12 May 2014). "Jaha Dukureh: 'In Washington, they don't want to talk about vaginas'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Somra, Gena (4 January 2016). "One woman's journey to American Dream includes a crusade". CNN. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  3. ↑ http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2018/2/press-release-un-women-announces-jaha-dukureh-as-regional-goodwill-ambassador. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ http://www.safehandsforgirls.org/
  5. 1 2 Daly, Claire (21 April 2016). "Time 100: FGM campaigner Jaha Dukureh makes prestigious list". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  6. ↑ McConnell, Fred; Ochagavia, Ekaterina; Baqué, Irene; Carson, Mary; theguardian.com (22 April 2016). "Jaha Dukureh: From FGM survivor to Time's 'most influential' list – video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  7. ↑ Daly, Claire (21 April 2016). "Time 100: FGM campaigner Jaha Dukureh makes prestigious list". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  8. ↑ https://www.mydomaine.com/jaha-dukureh-interview--5ab94d2f52a14. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ https://www.jahaspromise.com. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ Sweeney, Tanya. "Inspiring victim of female genital mutilation (27) is now campaigning to save other girls - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  11. ↑ Bonds Staples, Gracies (21 April 2016). "Time magazine honors Atlanta woman's fight to end genital mutilation". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  12. 1 2 Mourgere, Isabelle (19 May 2016). "La militante anti-excision, Jaha Dukureh, au top 100 du Time magazine" [Anti-FGM activist Jaha Dukureh in the Time top 100]. TV5Monde (in French). Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  13. ↑ https://today.ucf.edu/nobel-peace-prize-nominee-graduate-ucf/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ Lyons, Kate (24 November 2015). "The Gambia bans female genital mutilation". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
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