Darya Otto

Logo of Lobby für Mädchen e.V.

Darya Otto is in charge of the FGM prevention pilot project at the Cologne association Lobby für Mädchen e.V. (Lobby for girls).

In 2020 she spoke in a video message at the WWDOGA:

“

Who is that "Lobby for Girls"? Lobby for girls is an association that is partisan committed to the interests of girls and young women with and without a migration biography and with or without so-called disabilities between the ages of 10 and 27 in Cologne and the Cologne area. The educational practice fields of the lobby for girls are psychosocial counseling, prevention and open work with girls. We inform the general public and the specialist public about the life situations of girls and young women and campaign against structural discrimination and for the interests of girls and young women at local and regional level. We want to give girls and young women protection and development spaces through our work and we want to work for their physical and mental integrity as well as for their right to equal participation in all areas of life. What is FGM/C? FGM/C stands for Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting and means all procedures which aim to partially or completely remove or injure the female external genitalia, without medical necessity. That is the definition of the World Health Organization. Circumcision is mostly carried out on young girls. They are not asked. They are not free to choose. They can't fight back. Tradition just demands it. FGM/C is a taboo subject in practicing societies that is not talked about. So the girls do not know what will happen to them and what the consequences of circumcision will be for them. If the circumcision is embedded in a big celebration, the girls look forward to the festival in an unsuspecting way. Girls and women who are circumcised suffer lifelong physical, psychological and social effects. Many of those affected die as a result of circumcision. Many women can no longer feel anything during intercourse. Many also do not even know that FGM/C is a violation of human rights and is prohibited by law in many countries. 200 million girls and women worldwide are affected by FGM/C, and around 3 million are added each year. The unreported statistics of TERRE DES FEMMES assume around 70,200 affected women and 17,500 girls at risk in Germany. And that is precisely why it is our responsibility to act. The FGM prevention project: The lobby for girls' FGM prevention pilot project is funded by the Ministry for Homeland, Local Affairs, Building and Equality of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. We see it as our responsibility to stand up for girls and young women and to make the prevention of FGM/C the subject of our educational work. We inform girls and women, mothers, fathers and specialists about FGM/C and explain the consequences. FGM/C should be removed from the taboo and the public should be informed and sensitized about FGM/C. Our work also includes advice and support on the subject of female genital cutting, the strengthening and qualification of multipliers in schools, youth facilities and peer groups as well as in the communities, and networking with specialists. We want to win girls and young women, mothers, fathers, educational specialists and other interested parties to work for a self-determined, undamaged life for girls and women, and to find ways to fight FGM/C together. If you are interested in the project, connect with us. Because we want to give girls and young women protection and development space through our work and to work for their physical and mental integrity as well as for their right to equal participation in all areas of life. – Darya Otto (WWDOGA 2020)