In Arusha (Africa), twenty women attended the ceremony for the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood specifically to turn in their genital mutilation tools. One of them commented:

"We have discovered that practicing female genital mutilation not only risked our daughters' lives through excessive bleeding, but also exposed them to other infectious diseases such as HIV-Aids because a single razor is normally used to operate up to ten girls at a time."

Some are skeptical that because genital mutilation is so widespread, it cannot be ended so simply. I say that twenty women giving up their careers as genital mutilators is a huge step in the right direction. I hope that they'll inspire others to do the same.

Visit here to learn more about the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, as well as learn how to get involved to prevent unwanted pregnancies, complications during childbirth, and unsafe abortions.

For more information on female genital mutilation, visit the FGC Education and Networking Project.