A social media campaign calling for an end to female genital mutilation (FGM) cumulated with an online flashmob last Friday (29 November). 250 supporters of the campaign used Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr to spread the same message ‘Female genital mutilation amounts to torture & child abuse which all girls deserve to live free from #EndFGM’ This campaign reached almost 350,000 people.
Thunderclap is the first-ever crowdspeaking platform that helps people be heard by saying a single message at the same time.
FGM is a hideous crime which almost always goes unreported and around 24,000 girls are currently at risk of FGM across the UK which means that this is a problem that cannot be ignored in Staffordshire.
The campaign comes off the back of a conference held in September in Stafford in which over 400 professionals came together to debate, engage and raise awareness so that strong and effective partnerships can be formed to tackle this serious issue.
FGM, sometimes called female circumcision or cutting, involves the partial or total removal of the external female genital organs for cultural reasons. It is practised in 28 African countries and some in the Middle East and Asia and affects migrant communities in the UK.
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Arnold said: “There is no justification for female genital mutilation and we must commit our resources, our expertise and our determination to eradicating this practise from Staffordshire and beyond.
“This online campaign was a massive success with a huge reach. I hope it will help to raise awareness of FGM and create a call to end it completely.
“Thank you to everyone who supported this campaign, our voices are louder when we speak together.”
