Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. - ending the practice of FGM

So many years
her voice was silenced
Trauma scars, a life of pain
A custom born
to tame her vibrance Preying on the innocence of girls
to satisfy the greed of man
But false power is the greatest lie
And we must heal this wound
one step at a time...

Chorus:
Calling on People Everywhere
All Created Equal
It's time to speak our minds,
and change the tides
So every woman on this Earth
can live a life
That's safe and free
Her dignity will rise,
so she can see all she can be
Calling for Global Woman P.E.A.C.E.

Now she can start to tell her story
And begin to heal out loud
Her voice becomes our teacher
To end the violence
and create a better world
ALL will be empowered
When ALL are free to shine
And we'll keep marching
one step at a time...

Repeat Chorus:

One step at a time...
For Global Woman P.E.A.C.E.
One step at a time...
We walk to set her free
One step at a time...
For those who cannot speak
One step at a time...
For Global Woman P.E.A.C.E.

Repeat Chorus:

Let me ask you a few questions…

• Do you know what it is like to feel safe?

• Did you grow up knowing and learning that your body is your OWN temple? That no one else has the right to harm or impose their will upon your physical being?

• Are you free to choose your own romantic partners and when, how and why you elect to share love and sexual experience with another?

I truly hope that you were able to answer “YES” to all of these questions. I believe that it is our Human Right as Sovereign Beings to be able to answer “YES.” And this right is not just reserved for men…it is the natural birth right of all humans, regardless of age, sex or sexual preference.

Sadly, this Human Right is being violated in the deepest of ways. There are currently at least 125 Million women and young girls living in the world, and over 500,000 in the United States alone, who’s rights to their own bodies and sexuality have been stolen from them, violently, by those who they are supposed to trust the most…their own families. This betrayal continues day in and day out, kept quiet and secretive, veiled in the excuses of “custom” and “cultural tradition” and rooted in a male desire to suppress and control vibrant female energy and empowerment.

I am talking about FGM (Female Genital Mutilation). FGM is “the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia for non-medical reasons. External genitals include the clitoris, labia, pubis (the fatty tissue over the pubic bone), and the urethral and vaginal openings.” The practice of FGM is designed to prepare young girls for marriage, often forced or arranged, so that they will be unfeeling obedient wives, devoid of any pleasure or desires of their own, and sure not to stray from the family. In many cases, it is practiced with no anesthesia and in unsanitary environments, using knives or razor blades to do the cutting. There are many cases of girls dying from shock during the “ceremony,” their bodies and spirits not able to handle the unbearable level of pain. Often the same knife or razor is used on multiple girls in a row, resulting in the transfer of HIV and other diseases.

Although illegal in the US and various other countries of the world, FGM continues on under the radar, and far too often evades detection by law enforcement. “The UN has recognized FGM as torture and calls for its elimination as a form of cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of girls and women.”

This dehumanizing practice, leaves young girls scarred on deep emotional and physical levels. For many young victims of FGM, the simplest daily activities, such as sitting in a chair or urinating become excruciating life long issues. Intercourse and childbirth reach degrees of pain most of us cannot even imagine, the birth process often ending in the death of mother and/or child. Victims of FGM are told not to tell anyone about what has happened to them, and they are forced to hold all of the suffering quietly on the inside.

You may or may not have even ever heard of this term or be aware that it is a current and prevalent practice and issue that we face now as humans. It is not regular dinner time discussion in most households and can feel uncomfortable for many to discuss. I believe that it is because of our discomfort with this subject matter that it is able to continue on a secretive, hushed level, often going undetected in our own communities. For this reason, I decided that FGM was an important issue to write a song about.

I attended an amazing gathering of various peace leaders at a retreat center in the Catskills called Peace Village a few years back. On the first day there I was honored to meet an incredible woman named Angela Peabody, who runs the Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation out of Washington D.C., and has made it her mission to face FGM head on. Over the subsequent three days at the retreat, Angela and I talked extensively about her passion to help girls and women who are victims, or at risk of becoming victims, of FGM. She has dedicated her life to creating powerful solutions to help end this violent cycle.

In June 2015, Angela opened The Global Woman Center in the D.C. metropolitan area, “servicing FGM survivors and at-risk victims.” The Rehabilitative Program at the center offers “post-FGM counseling, referrals for proper OB-GYN check-ups and restorative surgery for the survivors…so that they can have regular check-ups without embarrassment, have normal childbirth without the risk of infant and maternal mortalities, and live without the physical genital pain they encounter with every monthly cycle, with each urination and sexual encounter.” The Kids Reach Program “works with schools, parents and law enforcement to protect children from FGM. We teach them what FGM means and how to identify at-risk girls. The program is designed not to frighten the children but to teach them safety and how to be alert. The teachers, school counselors and law enforcement also require training on detecting imminent problems, signs, distress, etc. in girls. The center also works with the parents through education about the long-term effects of FGM.”

In addition to creating The Global Woman Center, Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. started a yearly 5K Walk to End FGM, which takes place every October at The National Mall in Washington D.C. Countless individuals, and over 40 organizations, participate in the walk each year, and the numbers of supporters are expected to double each year as this cause picks up greater momentum. The many voices, now speaking out, will continue to grow in strength, rippling forth into the world saying, “This practice must come to an end!”

I sent Angela the recording of my new song “Global Woman P.E.A.C.E.” the day before the yearly D.C. walk against FGM. She was elated to receive the music, saying that it is the first song in the world, that she knows of, about FGM! I heard reports the following morning that my song was playing at the finish of the walk as people completed their journey…and that it helped to deepen a bond and emotional experience shared by all! For me, as a musician and creator, who’s mission is to use music as a vehicle for awareness and change, this news sang in my heart and propels me forward.

I hope that this piece will be shared by women, and men, throughout the world…that the words and intention of this anthem for women’s peace and healing will be received on new levels of consciousness. I hope that victims of FGM will hear this song and feel heard and understood, that they are not alone. And I hope that my one voice singing out, will encourage and inspire you to raise your voice…to research, speak, sing, write, work and share about this issue in any way that comes to you…so that the silence about FGM will come to an end. After all, we are ALL walking this path together…One step at a time…for Global Woman P.E.A.C.E.

For more information about Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation please visit www.globalwomanpeacefoundation.org