How Stacy Owino is helping giving girls their voices back
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Tech-savvy activist Stacy Owino is motivated to give girls their voices back and shares how this can help lead to equality.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Combating Female Genital Mutilation: Technological Interventions and Global Efforts
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a deeply entrenched cultural practice in various parts of the world, predominantly in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is often associated with beliefs about cultural identity and purity. FGM poses severe health risks, including chronic pain, infections, increased risk of childbirth complications, and psychological trauma. Global efforts to combat FGM have been multifaceted, involving advocacy, education, legal measures, and, more recently, technological interventions. For example, the creation of the iCut app, developed by young tech enthusiasts, is a significant stride in empowering potential victims.
Empowering Change: The iCut App and the Kenyan Innovators
Developed by a group of five Kenyan girls, including Stacy Owino, this app tackles the pervasive and culturally ingrained issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The team, known as "The Restorers," created iCut as a part of their participation in the 2017 Technovation Challenge, a global competition that encourages girls to solve community problems using technology. iCut serves as an emergency platform for girls at risk of FGM. It provides vital functionalities such as a distress call feature connecting users to legal and medical assistance and a reporting option for planned FGM cases. The app also includes educational resources about FGM, aiming to inform and empower its users. This innovation showcases young Kenyan women's talents and resourcefulness and highlights their commitment to challenging harmful traditions and advocating for women's rights in their community. The Restorers' work with iCut has gained international recognition, symbolizing a beacon of hope and change in the fight against FGM, and demonstrating the powerful role technology can play in addressing human rights issues.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a deeply entrenched cultural practice in various parts of the world, predominantly in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is often associated with beliefs about cultural identity and purity. FGM poses severe health risks, including chronic pain, infections, increased risk of childbirth complications, and psychological trauma. Global efforts to combat FGM have been multifaceted, involving advocacy, education, legal measures, and, more recently, technological interventions. For example, the creation of the iCut app, developed by young tech enthusiasts, is a significant stride in empowering potential victims.
Empowering Change: The iCut App and the Kenyan Innovators
Developed by a group of five Kenyan girls, including Stacy Owino, this app tackles the pervasive and culturally ingrained issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The team, known as "The Restorers," created iCut as a part of their participation in the 2017 Technovation Challenge, a global competition that encourages girls to solve community problems using technology. iCut serves as an emergency platform for girls at risk of FGM. It provides vital functionalities such as a distress call feature connecting users to legal and medical assistance and a reporting option for planned FGM cases. The app also includes educational resources about FGM, aiming to inform and empower its users. This innovation showcases young Kenyan women's talents and resourcefulness and highlights their commitment to challenging harmful traditions and advocating for women's rights in their community. The Restorers' work with iCut has gained international recognition, symbolizing a beacon of hope and change in the fight against FGM, and demonstrating the powerful role technology can play in addressing human rights issues.
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About Universal Human Rights
In 1948 the United Nations issued a Universal Declaration of Human Rights that laid out a common standard of fundamental rights to be universally protected. But how much do you know about the rights and freedoms everyone, everywhere - including you - is entitled to? Explore this page to learn more about the history, philosophy and practice of ensuring universal human rights, brought to you in partnership with the Open Society Foundations.
Meet The Creators
- Video created by UN Human Rights
- Lesson Plan created by Cheney Munson
