Call to charities working to end female genital mutilation and child marriage

28 Jul 2014 11:14 AM

Charities with the best ideas on how to end female genital mutilation and child marriage to benefit from match funding from the UK government. 

International Development Secretary Justine Greening called on charities to come forward with proposals to tackle FGM and child marriage and promised the very best would benefit from match funding from the UK government.

Greening has set aside a minimum of £1 million for projects working to end child and forced marriage and female genital mutilation. The call follows theGirl Summit, which took place at Walworth Academy in South London on Tuesday and brought people together from all over the world with the aim of ending FGM and child marriage within a generation.

Child and forced marriage affects 14 million girls a year, some as young as 8 years old. Meanwhile 125 million women worldwide are estimated to be living with the consequences of FGM and 30 million girls are at risk in Africa alone over the next decade.

By matching charity appeals pound for pound, the department can ensure aid money is spent on the projects and charities that the general public support and give them a greater say in how aid money is spent.

Charities will need to present their proposals to the Department for International Development by September, ahead of 6 month appeals which will start in February.

Justine Greening said:

Education, ambition and freedom of choice should be available to every single girl — whether they live in London or Lagos.

FGM and child marriages aren’t just happening in far off places. Right now, in London and all across the UK, there are girls without the same rights as their friends who are at risk.

That has to change. That is why I have promised to match fund the very best new proposals from charities to tackle these terrible practices. The time has come to not only break the silence on these issues, but to take a stand.

Charities can find out more about how to apply here.

Notes

1. UK Aid Match is a mechanism that allows the UK public to have a say in how an element of the aid budget is spent. It enables DFID to match, pound for pound, public donations to charity appeals.
2. Sign the pledge to end FGM and CEFM at www.GirlSummitPledge.com. The following people have already got behind the campaign: Malala, Jemima Khan, Jackie Chan, Philip Pullman, Alison Moyet, Freida Pinto, Christy Turlington, Stephen Fry, Dawn O’Porter, Jennifer Hudson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Desmond Tutu, Cat Deeley, Melinda Gates, Mia Farrow, Lorraine Kelly, Lorraine Kelly, Martina Navratilova and Sir Roger Moore.