Story of an FGM Survivor in Eritrea

Hiwet carries the weight of a painful past, one that inflicted a harmful practice forced on her during childhood, and without her consent. Through the agony of childbirth complications suffered due to this archaic tradition, she has emerged as a fierce advocate for change. Today, determined to spare others from a similar fate, Hiwet leads an awareness campaign that seeks to empower girls to reject female genital mutilation. 

“Today, we bear witness to a different reality, yearning for the time when FGM is a relic of the past in Eritrea. No longer will girls endure the agony of genital cutting and subsequent stitching, only to face further torment in marriage and childbirth. We dream of a future where such suffering is a distant memory, where every girl grows up free from the evils of FGM,” she said.