“I think everyone should know about the dangers of FGM and early forced marriage.”

At just 13 years old, Charity is an anti-Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) campaigner in Korosi Village where she lives with her parents and six brothers and sisters. Charity joined the project run by National Association of Women’s Organizations in Uganda (NAWOU) one year ago and she has received training and support from her mentor on how to challenge FGM and child marriage in her community. 

“I have learned more about FGM, about my rights and my responsibilities. Now I know that I have a right to an education and to medical care. And I have more confidence. My mentor told me I can speak out boldly and no one is going to beat me.”

When I meet women and men, even at the well, they tell me what girls in their villages have gone through because they know I am an FGM Champion… I met a woman at the well whose daughter was forced to marry at 15 years old. After she gave birth, when her child was sick and would cry, the mother would cry too as she didn’t know how to care for the baby and she had no money… I heard of another girl who was cut and then became pregnant. She was only 17 and she couldn’t give birth because the scar where she was circumcised was too small for the baby to pass through. The baby died in the womb and the girl died too.

I think everyone should know about the dangers of FGM and early forced marriage. Our mentors came up with the idea of us acting out plays and lots of parents from school came. I play the role of the child who refused to get circumcised. I have a friend called Joy and her parents were telling her to get married but after they watched the play they changed their mind and now she is in school.

At the moment I don’t want to get married because my friends who are married suffer a lot with poverty, disease and ignorance. I want to finish school and get a job before I get married. I have always wanted to be a lawyer and I used to think that was not possible. Now I see that it is. I want to fight for children’s rights so if a child comes to me and tells me that their parents are forcing them to get married I can intervene because I am a lawyer.”