Five prominent Africans who suffered female genital mutilation

Bogaletch Gebre

Bogaletch Gebre fought as an Ethiopian women’s rights activist with the aim to end female genital mutilation until she died aged 66.

When she was only 12 years old, Gebre underwent the practice of female genital mutilation that she would eventually spend her life fighting to end as stated on her organization’s website.

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She was referred to as the “the woman who began the rebellion of Ethiopian women,” in 2010 by The Independent. Gebre, dedicated her life to empowering women and girls in Ethiopia and effectively altering attitudes around female genital mutilation by enlightening women in rural communities.

Gebre has been honoured for eliminating the practice of female genital mutilation in the region where she grew up as the practice decreases from nearly 100% in 1999 to less than 3% in 2008.