"It's important to break the silence around FGM" - Q&A with TARGET project manager Susana Perreira da Silva

Susana Perreira da Silva leads TRAGET's projects to end female genital mutilation in Guinea-Bissau. In this Q&A interview, she talks about the current situation of the projects, the challenges of her work and the urgent need to break the silence about FGM.

What is the public opinion on Female Genital Mutilation in Guinea-Bissau?

Although a law has criminalized FGM since 2011, a worrying 49% of respondents are still in favour of female genital mutilation. The proportion of male and female supporters is almost equal. This is according to a data survey conducted by TARGET in summer 2022.

How do you reach people in Guinea-Bissau to educate them about FGM?

Female genital mutilation is still a taboo subject, especially in the traditional context. We at TARGET use two ways to reach people. Firstly, by raising awareness through local multipliers and secondly through the media. In Guinea-Bissau, this is primarily the radio.

Multipliers are people from the communities who are trained and accompanied by TARGET teams. In the last one and a half years, 283 awareness-raising measures have been carried out by 190 multipliers. This has enabled us to reach 8,996 people.

How do you manage to change people's minds about FGM?

People are naturally resistant to change. Our work consists of persistently and regularly raising awareness in communities for the abolition of FGM. TARGET's multipliers are often former advocates of female genital mutilation. Through awareness-raising, training and support, we have been able to change their minds. Now they are working with us to end this practice together and are particularly convincing because they themselves have changed their minds and have therefore gone through the change process themselves.

Wwhat is your role at TARGET?

My work at TARGET is very fulfilling, varied and at the same time a constant challenge. Together with an extremely motivated team, I set two-year targets for projects. We plan and define activities and their implementation. We regularly evaluate the measures implemented so that we can continuously improve in order to achieve our goals.

What changes have there been in Guinea-Bissau with regard to FGM?

Through regular contact with the communities, we can see noticeable changes. Eight years ago, it was still very difficult to address the issue. Our teams were often treated aggressively and prevented from speaking to the target group, the women and girls. The biggest change took place when we integrated nurses into the teams. They were given the opportunity to talk to the women and girls. Talking to those affected is essential in order to raise awareness of the issue and end FGM. There used to be celebrations after the mutilation, but now the taboo subject has almost completely disappeared from the scene. Female genital mutilation has been a punishable offense since 2011 and is practiced in secret. We address the issue in the communities and advocate for women and girls in Guinea-Bissau.

It is important to break the silence around female genital mutilation.

Communities must learn that female genital mutilation has nothing to do with Islam and is even against the rules of the Koran. Because this practice has irreversible consequences for the health and well-being of girls and women.
If we break the silence, we can change mentalities and behaviors.

Further reading

Our projects in Guinea-Bisseau

Information on female genital mutilation