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Jaha Dukureh

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Wiae (talk | contribs) at 12:40, 9 March 2019 (the lead section should summarize the most important details about the subject. replaced one source; removed extraneous detail; formatting; text cleanup). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Jaha Dukureh (born 1989 or 1990)[1][2] is a Gambian women's right activist and anti-female genital mutilation campaigner.[1] 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,[3] and was the lead campaigner in The Guardian's End FGM Guardian Global Media Campaign.[4] In April 2016, she was named to the 2016 Time 100 list.[5][6] Dukureh was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in February 2018 by Jette F. Christensen[7] and is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for Africa.[8] A feature film about Jaha's life was released by Accidental Pictures and The Guardian.

Life

Dukureh was born in The Gambia. She was subjected to Type III female genital mutilation 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][9] 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 enroll 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.[10] That year, she founded Safe Hands for Girls, an anti-FGM non-profit organization.[11][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. [12]

Dukureh's activism led to the banning of female genital mutilation in The Gambia.[13][11]

Dukureh currently resides in Atlanta.[1] As of June 2016, The Guardian developed a film about Dukureh's life.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Topping, Alexandra (12 May 2014). "Jaha Dukureh: 'In Washington, they don't want to talk about vaginas'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Somra, Gena (4 January 2016). "One woman's journey to American Dream includes a crusade". CNN. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  3. ^ http://www.safehandsforgirls.org/
  4. ^ a b Daly, Claire (21 April 2016). "Time 100: FGM campaigner Jaha Dukureh makes prestigious list". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Daly, Claire (21 April 2016). "Time 100: FGM campaigner Jaha Dukureh makes prestigious list". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Regional UN Women Ambassador Jaha Dukureh". UN Women. 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  8. ^ http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2018/2/press-release-un-women-announces-jaha-dukureh-as-regional-goodwill-ambassador. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ Sweeney, Tanya. "Inspiring victim of female genital mutilation (27) is now campaigning to save other girls - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  10. ^ Bonds Staples, Gracies (21 April 2016). "Time magazine honors Atlanta woman's fight to end genital mutilation". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  11. ^ a b 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.
  12. ^ https://today.ucf.edu/nobel-peace-prize-nominee-graduate-ucf/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ^ Lyons, Kate (24 November 2015). "The Gambia bans female genital mutilation". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
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