An Advocates Journey

I was an international human rights follow working to end child marriage in Massachusetts and learn of linkages between child marriage and female genital mutilation following the judgment, many articles and quotes certain advocates were published, but only one stood out, by an advocate from Massachusetts.

I reached out to her, and we planned to meet. As I walked into the cafe, the aroma of coffee and the song of steam from the machines could be heard, as well as mixed chatter all around there waiting for me, my supervisor and two other colleagues, was a young woman. Following introductions, she started speaking about fgmc.

She shared her own experience, and as she spoke, everything went silent around me, my hands felt cool and a sinking feeling developed in my stomach. I no longer saw the young woman in front of me. Instead, I saw a seven year old girl in white clinging to her mother's dress in a dark hallway. No one was there to protect her. When I expressed my sorrow to her, she said, I'm fine. It was a long time ago.

I had no idea I'd be hearing her story that day, but I knew I was meant to hear it.

I could have easily said thank you for your time and left. After all, it was not within the scope of the human rights project I was working on at the time. Instead, I chose to educate myself and listen to survivors. Now, years later, I continue to grow and learn how to be a better advocate for children at risk everywhere,

like the tree which grows from bottom up. One conversation ignited my passion to join this movement, and I was not about to stop.