Asha Ismail, founder, and president of Save a Girl Save a Generation has been invited by Acción en Red to participate in a talk-debate regarding the meanings of being born a girl in Africa.

In many countries in Africa and Asia, the law has not been able to eradicate the dowry system. Nor will it be able to eradicate female genital mutilation or forced marriages while all family members continue to believe that a girl is not as profitable as a boy and that girls must be mutilated to remain virgins for their future husbands or, in said otherwise, their future owners. Nothing will change as long as families believe educating girls does not make any sense. Societies need to make many changes. They must understand that girls are very important assets for their development and not objects for which a dowry must be paid. They are not machines that manufacture children. They are not objects to be used. If women and men do not unite to transform their society, the birth of a daughter will always be seen as a disgrace for the family.

Asha Ismail, who also underwent female genital mutilation when she was only 5 years old, will talk about the situation of millions of African girls and open a debate on possible ways to solve the discrimination and the fact that African girls are denied their rights.

The talk, which is completely free, will take place in La Bóveda (Calle San Felipe Neri 4, bajo, Madrid – between Ópera or Sol metro stations) next Friday, February 7, at 8 pm. The talk is part of the World Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, which will take place on February 6. Currently, according to statistics from the World Health Organization, 140 million girls and women in the world suffer the consequences of this brutal practice.