Djibouti’s innovative Elle & Elles network brings eight youth associations together to break taboos, raise awareness of the risks young people face and support their rights and choices.
Through talks and door-to-door visits, members meet young people to discuss HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, contraception, gender-based violence and female genital mutilation (FGM).
More than seven-in-ten women and girls aged 15 to 49 have endured FGM in Djibouti. Yet government data shows that the harmful practice decreased by eight per cent between 2012 and 2019, and fell by much higher rates among children aged zero to 10 in the last 30 years.
The UNFPA-supported network reaches more than 1,100 people each month, and has reached more than 7,000 youth with engaging messaging on the risks and dangers of FGM through working with influencers, media personalities and partners.
Men and boys have a crucial role to play in improving gender-equality and countering harmful practices, and the UNFPA-supported National Men and Boys Network empowers young male leaders to promote gender-equality through innovative tools and events.
Initiatives led by the Men and Boys Network include a concert for 800 university students,, a café debate series on how positive masculinity can help end FGM, and a national declaration to end all forms of gender-based violence that was forged at Djibouti’s National Conference on the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 2019.
This year, the Men and Boys Network has already reached around 900 young people where they meet on the beach, and through ‘Mijlis’ men’s assemblies, where around 100 men meet to make declarations of their commitment to abandoning FGM and all violence against women and girls.
Both the Elle and Elles and Men and Boys Networks join a range of UNFPA-supported campaigns in Djibouti, with a shared determination to end FGM and boost gender-equality.
“With a young, vibrant and growing population, Djibouti is brimming with talent, drive and energy, and UNFPA is here to support women, girls and youth to bring their transformative ideas to life,” said Aicha Ibrahim, UNFPA Head of Office in Djibouti.
