New paths in life
Female circumcisers become seamstresses
A new path with dignity and a future.
In Somalia, many women carry out a practice that has been handed down for generations: the circumcision of girls. They travel from village to village, without medical training, and earn their living this way—often doing to others what was done to them as girls. For them, it is a tradition that has been passed down, an inherited understanding of their role—not cruelty, but survival.
The conditions are shocking:
The work is carried out without anesthesia and under unhygienic conditions.
Razor blades, broken glass, blunt knives, or even clay shards are used.
Girls of all ages are affected—with lifelong consequences.
This traditional practice is deeply rooted in social structures. Breaking it requires not only education, but also genuine alternatives.
This is exactly where we come in.
We offer these women a new path:
In our retraining programs, they learn the tailoring trade—with professional guidance, sewing courses, and start-up assistance through their own machines. In this way, the old craft of violence is transformed into a new craft of design.
What used to cause pain now opens up new perspectives.
- They stop hurting girls—and start processing fabrics.
- They sew clothes – not wounds.
- You secure a decent income – without debt, without fear.
Because only those who know the alternatives can decide to change. And only those who receive support can break old patterns.
With women – not against them.
For girls – not for old constraints.
With women – not against them.
For girls – not for old constraints.
– Jawahir Cumar, founder of
stop mutilation International e.V.