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Quick Action Prevents Forced Marriage Community, Tostan Defend Rights of Brave 16-Year-Old Girl in Tambacounda
 On February 14, 2008, Kadiata, a 16-year-old girl from in the Region of Tambacounda, Senegal learned that in 2005, without her knowledge or consent, her father had given her in marriage to a man from a neighboring village. Both this man and her father lived in France, and now they were coming back to Senegal to formalize the marriage. Once informed of the preparations for her marriage, Kadiata fled her home. After two weeks in the far away city of St. Louis, she returned to Tambacounda in the care of her maternal grandfather. This, however, did not solve the problem: when Kadiata's father found out that she was staying with her grandfather, he angrily threatened to leave Kadiata's mother. Her grandfather was in a bind: either endanger his granddaughter's future or his daughter's marriage. Faced with this dilemma, the grandfather asked the father to send a car to pick up Kadiata and told her to do what her father asked of her. Kadiata felt she had no hope. Not knowing where to turn, she spoke to her aunt and uncle about committing suicide rather than being married to this man.
That night, her aunt decided to take Kadiata to the Tostan office in Tambacounda. Kadiata's family had heard about Tostan's success in promoting the abandonment of harmful traditional practices such as child/forced marriage and female genital cutting. Upon hearing her story, the Assistant Regional Coordinator of the Tostan Tambacounda office, Aly Bâ, mobilized local elected officials in the city of Tambacounda to intervene on Kadiata's behalf. The next day, the Tambacounda Regional Children's Tribunal heard her case.
The tribunal judge issued an order that Kadiata remain in the custody of her uncle until the legal age of marriage, 18. And, in an extraordinary move, the judge called Kadiata's father personally after making the decision to advise him to stay away from Kadiata's residence, and to respect the courts' custody order. The judge hoped that this action would rectify these two serious violations of human rights: giving this girl in marriage at such a young age, and doing so without her consent or knowledge.
This story, which was quickly picked up by the local media, is certainly not over. Tostan plans to continue negotiations with the father so that he understands the importance of respecting his daughter's human rights. Tostan will also continue its work with hundreds of communities in the region to prevent this type of situation in the future.
Each year, thousands of girls in Tambacounda and throughout Senegal are forced into marriage, sometimes as early as age 11. In addition to the rights violations the practice involves, there are several related consequences, including dramatically increased health risks during childbirth and the permanent removal of the girls from school.
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| Kolda Community Makes History
Thousands Abandon FGC in Southeastern Senegal as Total Number of Communities in Movement Passes 3,000
 Senegal has passed an important milestone: on Sunday, March 2, 2008, over one thousand people gathered in Saré Sounkarou, in the Region of Kolda to celebrate the decision of 144 villages to abandon the practices of female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage. The declaration brought the total number of villages that have publicly abandoned FGC in Senegal to 3,140, representing 63% of the communities estimated to have practiced as of 1997.
Adding to the event's significance, ten villages from across the border in Guinea Bissau participated with their extended families in the ceremony. The declaration was the culmination of a long process in this region, where the 2005 census showed a 94% prevalence of FGC.
The lively ceremony included speeches, music, and dancing, as well as plays performed by the Saré Sounkarou theater troupe. One of the songs, in Fulani, drew attention to the refusal of one very intelligent young girl to marry without her consent at too an early age. This declaration in particular highlights the power of Tostan's organized diffusion strategy. Of the 144 villages that participated, only 16 directly participated in the Tostan program. Yet these 16 communities were able to mobilize the other 128 villages to join with them in abandoning these harmful practices. Another unique aspect of this declaration was its timing: it came three years after the end of a Tostan program. The Tostan-trained Community Management Committees in these 16 communities worked tirelessly since the end of the program to raise awareness on a large scale and create consensus around FGC abandonment in this region of high FGC prevalence.
This declaration brings the communities one step closer to a regional declaration in Kolda, planned for in 2009, as well as a national declaration for all of Senegal, planned for 2011.
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Show your commitment to the growing movement for human rights in Africa: 1. Share Tostan's work with your friends:  2. Make a tax-deductible donation today:  |
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Tostan is the recipient of the 2007 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.