In the Matam region, where female genital mutilation (FGM) continues to claim victims in the shadows, community dialogue is now essential to changing mentalities and protecting young girls.

Since August 1st, a series of inter-village meetings has been mobilizing the populations of 18 localities of Dandé Mayo, as part of an awareness campaign initiated by child protection structures and the NGO Tostan, with the financial support of UNICEF.

These exchanges, spread over ten days and organized in six host villages, aim to denounce the dangers of excision and to create a space for collective reflection around this practice which is still too often justified by tradition or religion.

“There are practices that are perpetuated out of ignorance. Our goal is to raise awareness, deconstruct beliefs, and show that female genital mutilation endangers the health and lives of our girls,” explained Sidy Oumar Sall, Tostan agent and campaign leader, during the meeting organized in Nawel.

The mobilization includes women, men, youth, and religious leaders, in order to reach all segments of the community. The focus is on women involved in these practices, identified as primary and secondary targets, to promote profound change.

“Social norms are deeply rooted. But we have no choice: we must talk about them, open the debate. Female genital mutilation kills in silence. These dialogues are an urgent response to a dramatic situation,” insisted Mr. Sall.

After Tiguéré, Thiofol, Diamel and Nawel, the next meetings will take place in Ndiakiri and Bassoudji, before the closing scheduled for next Sunday.

Beyond providing information, these community exchanges aim to encourage collective support for abandoning the practice, in a spirit of solidarity between villages. Because only a collective decision can prevent the ban from being circumvented from one village to another.

In this region of northern Senegal, where tradition remains strong, this dynamic of dialogue could well mark a turning point in the fight against female genital mutilation. A fight which, to be effective, must start from the ground, from families, from women... and from shared words.