Jaha_Dukureh

Jaha Dukureh

Jaha Dukureh

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Jaha Dukureh (born 1989 or 1990)[1][2] is a Gambian women's right activist and anti-female genital mutilation campaigner.[1] Dukureh was subjected to female genital mutilation in the Gambia when she was a little more than a week old.[2] She is the founder and executive director of Safe Hands for Girls, an organization working to end FGM,[3] and was the lead campaigner in The Guardian's End FGM Guardian Global Media Campaign.[4] In April 2016, she was named to the 2016 Time 100 list.[5][6] Dukureh was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in February 2018,[7] has won the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal,[8] and is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for Africa.[9] A feature film about Jaha's life was released by Accidental Pictures and The Guardian.

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Life

Dukureh was born in The Gambia. She was subjected to Type III female genital mutilation when she was one week old.[1] After her mother's death, she moved to New York City at the age of 15 for an arranged marriage that had been planned years earlier.[1][10] After experiencing difficulty consummating her marriage, she underwent surgery to undo the infibulation, which she likened to "[going] through the FGM all over again".[1][2] Dukureh's marriage dissolved and she moved in with family members. She managed to enroll in a New York City high school after being rejected by 10 other schools because she did not have the consent of a legal guardian.[1] At 17, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and remarried.[1]

Dukureh earned a Bachelor's degree in business administration management at Georgia Southwestern State University in 2013.[11] That year, she founded Safe Hands for Girls, an anti-FGM non-profit organization.[12][2] Dukureh became an American citizen in late 2015.[2] Dukureh also has a Master's degree in Non-Profit Management from The University of Central Florida in 2018.[13]

Dukureh's activism led to the banning of female genital mutilation in The Gambia.[14][12]

Dukureh currently resides in Atlanta.[1] The Guardian developed the documentary film Jaha's Promise, which premiered in 2017.[4][15]

2021 presidential campaign

On 13 October 2021, Dukureh announced her bid to stand as a candidate in the 2021 Gambian presidential election for the People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism, having joined the party in March 2021.[16] Dukureh's campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, with Halifa Sallah being selected to stand as the PDOIS candidate in November 2021.[17]

References

  1. [1]
    Topping, Alexandra (12 May 2014). "Jaha Dukureh: 'In Washington, they don't want to talk about vaginas'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  2. [2]
    Somra, Gena (4 January 2016). "One woman's journey to American Dream includes a crusade". CNN. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  3. [3]
    "Home". safehandsforgirls.org.
  4. [4]
    Daly, Claire (21 April 2016). "Time 100: FGM campaigner Jaha Dukureh makes prestigious list". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  5. [5]
    McConnell, Fred; Ochagavia, Ekaterina; Baqué, Irene; Carson, Mary; theguardian.com (22 April 2016). "Jaha Dukureh: From FGM survivor to Time's 'most influential' list – video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  6. [6]
    Daly, Claire (21 April 2016). "Time 100: FGM campaigner Jaha Dukureh makes prestigious list". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  7. [7]
    "Regional UN Women Ambassador Jaha Dukureh". UN Women. 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  8. [8]
    "Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal". Eleanor Roosevelt Center. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  9. [9]
    "Press release: UN Women announces first Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa". 5 February 2018.
  10. [10]
    Sweeney, Tanya. "Inspiring victim of female genital mutilation (27) is now campaigning to save other girls - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  11. [11]
    Bonds Staples, Gracies (21 April 2016). "Time magazine honors Atlanta woman's fight to end genital mutilation". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  12. [12]
    Mourgere, Isabelle (19 May 2016). "La militante anti-excision, Jaha Dukureh, au top 100 du Time magazine" [Anti-FGM activist Jaha Dukureh in the Time top 100]. TV5Monde (in French). Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  13. [13]
    "Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Jaha Dukureh to Graduate from UCF". 3 May 2018.
  14. [14]
    Lyons, Kate (24 November 2015). "The Gambia bans female genital mutilation". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  15. [15]
    O'Kane, Maggie (17 March 2017). "Jaha's Promise: FGM film premieres at Copenhagen film festival". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  16. [16]
    Topping, Alexandra (4 November 2021). "'It is what girls need': the FGM activist hoping to be the Gambia's president". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  17. [17]
    Egbejule, Eromo (10 November 2021). "Who are the men vying for the Gambian presidency?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
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