Born on Christmas Day in a remote region of Tanzania a baby girl died just a few days later after being mutilated by her great-grandmother.
"It's devastating! Just a few weeks ago, Tanzania's government and police decided to crack down on FGM perpetrators and now a baby girl had to die! It just shows that it needs more than sanctions, it needs EDUCATION. People have to learn to understand why FGM is a crime against humanity!", says Waris Dirie.
The girl was born to a 16-year-old single mother. Five days after her birth she was mutilated by her great-grandmother, which led to complications. She was brought to the hospital, where she died.
Although FGM is illegal in Tanzania, many communities in the Kilimanjaro and Manyara regions still cut their girls, performing it at a younger age in hope to avoid prosecution.
Uneducated teenage mothers are still coming under pressure to mutilate their babies, being told that it must be kept a tradition.
It needs education and community work in order to stop this terrible crime and the death of thousands of girls and women!
