Journalist and filmmaker Giselle Portenier has made the gripping and life-affirming documentary, @InTheNameOfYourDaughter to tell the story of girls in Tanzania who are risking their lives to defy female genital mutilation (FGM) and courageously pursue their dreams.  A trailer can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt3XdU0Fddo&t=15s.

The United Nations has a goal of ending female genital mutilation (FGM) by 2030. To amplify and direct efforts on the elimination of this practice, the UN General Assembly has designated February 6 as the “International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

According to the web site https://inthenameofyourdaughterfilm.com/, the film was made with the support of almost 400 people from 30 countries who donated to its Indiegogo fundraising campaign. It also had the backing of BBC Storyville, Ikon Television from the Netherlands, SVT in Sweden, DR Television in Denmark and YLE Television in Finland.

According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “Together, we can eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030. Doing so will have a positive ripple effect on the health, education and economic advancement of girls and women.”

“In the Name of Your Daughter” won the Amnesty International Award at the Giffoni Film Festival in 2019.

by Dana Mildebrath