TEDx Warwick: Female Genital Mutilation

Aissa Edon was absolutely fearless from the moment that she walked onto the stage. Female genital mutilation (FGM) has been an increasingly controversial issue, and Edon’s honest story put the picture in a stark context. Having been taken from Mali at the age of six, she was transported to France where the procedure took place.

She was adamant that FGM was not an ‘African problem” – UNICEF estimate that approximately 125 million girls around the world have been subjected to this practice in 29 prominent countries. This includes 10,000 girls under the age of 18, which got a few gasps in the audience.

UNICEF estimate that approximately 125 million girls around the world have been subjected to this practice in 29 prominent countries

During the talk itself, two people complained of feeling unwell and were forced to leave the auditorium – it was clear that the subject matter was striking a real chord in the room. Nevertheless, Edon spoke on about the taboo around reconstruction, recovering confidently from the interruption.

She ended on a sombre note: FGM “is an extreme reality of the patriarchal society that girls are brought up in…which leaves mental and physical scars that last a lifetime.”