Obligation to Protect (O2P) Sudan Agents of Change Unite against FGM/C Sudan SUMMARY 
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), an extreme form of violence against girls, is rife in Sudan. This project, which is being carried out by Plan and its partner Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA), aims to eradicate this practice in Sudan within a generation. 
To underscore the kind of optimum outcomes that will be crucial for the permanent eradication of FGM/C, this project is being carried out at individual, community and institutional levels. It teaches communities about girls’ rights and that FGM/C is illegal. It also encourages local organisations like youth and women’s groups to challenge norms and attitudes, and it supports parliamentarians in implementing effective legislation. The project, which started in January 2014 and will run till December 2017, is part of the O2P (Obligation to Protect) programme that’s being implemented in Sudan, Egypt, Kenya and Ethiopia. FGM/C is a violation of human rights and an extreme form of violence and discrimination against women. It involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other types of injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is viewed as a traditional practice, regardless of the fact it is very painful and risky for the health of girls and women. It can also cause many complications during menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, and can even result in death.
FGM/C is practiced in its severest form in the White Nile State In Sudan, where its prevalence is over 80 per cent. About 22% of prenatal deaths in infants born to women with FGM/C can be attributed to it.
The practice still goes on because of traditional beliefs about controlling female sexuality, social pressure and the importance of initiation rites. It is mainly the girls’ grandmothers and religious figures that ensure the practice is continued. Males in the family are sometimes not even aware that it goes on. To eliminate FGM/C, the social norms and values that fuel its continuation must be changed. Furthermore, legislation against FGM/C must be improved and enforced. Men and boys will have to lobby for this and girls must be empowered to stand up for their sexual and reproductive health rights, and supported in doing so too. Individuals and local organisations are being trained to act as human rights defenders, meaning the project is tackling FGM/C at individual, community and institutional levels.

In the context of this project:
- people, including girls, boys, local youth and women’s groups are being empowered to oppose these violations and are being trained as human rights defenders;
- local development organisations, women groups and agents of change are lobbying to change the norms and values that justify and continue these harmful practices 
- the legal and protection systems of counties in Sudan are being strengthened and parliamentarians are being influenced.

All activities in the project are inter-connected. Individual and community initiatives are being supported by a legal framework and local organisations are playing a watchdog role in case of violations that have already happened or are about happen, and take the necessary actions against these violations. The Netherlands' Embassy in Sudan supports the promotion and protection of human rights, giving priority to the defenders of human rights, and underscoring the freedom of the media and gender equality. The UNICEF/UNFPA  Joint Programme against FGM/C is strengthening the structure of the government at national and regional levels, while this project works at community level and targets groups that are not covered by the above-mentioned initiatives, namely: girls, boys, local organisations and parliamentarians. White Nile State is a region of Sudan in which FGM/C has not yet ben tackled by stakeholders, such as UNICEF, even though its practice there is alarmingly high. Some 50,000 girls, 15,000 women, 45,000 boys and 20,000 men between the ages of 10 and 18 in White Nile State will benefit from this project. The girls have been identified by Plan as vulnerable to FGM/C. The boys are important because they are seen as the defenders and future guardians of the changed social norms and for the elimination of FGM/C. The project’s activities are at three levels.

Individual level
- Trainers trained in 4 days on the Saleema manual and guidelines for 80 community promoters and change agents (grandmothers, midwives, religious leaders and village elders) in two workshops (for 48 participants from eight localities).
- 4 exchange visits  and 10 community members shown around model villages in which FGM/C has been stopped.
- Annual seminars  in eight localities to discuss FGM/C attended by 10 key community and tribal leaders and relevant local-level commissioners. 
-Sixteen girls’ clubs, youth clubs and other associations trained on FGM/C, child rights, drama and theatre communication and support these 80 participants to serve as community agents among their peers. 

Community level
- At national level six workshops for religious institutes, and at state level  four workshops for 300 persons.
- Two trainings on advocacy and policy analysis and legislation for 60 representatives from local organisations on women and children’s rights, academics, and journalists.
-One training for 50 youth representatives on human rights frameworks on FGM/C, the role of children’s parliament members and youth parliament at White Nile State level.
- Interaction on FGM/C between the children’s parliament and the legislative council  during the International FGM/C eradication day celebration and the Zero Tolerance to Sexual and Gender Based Violence campaign at White Nile level. For 60 members of the children’s parliament and 40 from the youth parliament. 

Institutional level
- A workshop for the National Council for Child Welfare (NCCW), being the legislative department of the Ministry of Justice and Women’s Centre for Human rights for follow up commitments made in the international conference in the Great Lakes on Sexual and Gender Based Violence and the UN declaration on FGM/C. 
-Training on lobbying in legislative proces for (mainly female) parliamentarians and legislators at state and national levels. By changing social norms this project is driving a permanent change in the way people see FGM/C. Once social norms in a community change, that change is usually irreversible, meaning FGM/C prevalence rates will continue to drop after the project has ended.

By connecting and strengthening local organisations, youth groups and women’s groups, the project is installing structures that will remain in place after its completion. These organisations are acting in networks to jointly influence change at government and national levels. Furthermore, By creating safe spaces for girls and young women, they will be able to discuss their problems and get the support they need to claim their rights.

The project is also strengthening the linkages between the various types of change makers. This will improve cooperation in stopping FGM/C and give girls and young women access to important actors at local, state/district and even national level.

Once they are adopted, specific legislation and policies on FGM/C will continue to be effective. By training parliamentarians and improving the relationship they have with the communities, these parliamentarians will get a better overview of how laws are implemented and the impact that the laws have. This, in turn, will have a structurally beneficial impact on girls and young women in those communities.