Knowledge transfer

Press articles

"Once upon a time Africa ..."

El Mundo journalist, Núria Ribó, draws an image of The Gambia in which she mixes her own impressions of the trip she made, with the experience of the Wassu Foundation director, Dr. Adriana Kaplan, who has been researching and working for more than 30 years in the country.

"Wassu Gambia Kafo sensitises law makers on FGM/C"

National Assembly Members (NAMs), under the auspices Select Committee on Health, Women and Children, concluded a training on Female Genital Mutilation / Cutting (FGM/C) conducted by the Wassu Gambia Kafo (WGK) on Wednesday, 18th April, 2018 at th National Assembly complex in Banjul.

“The women who achieve the change”

During March, Prof. Adriana Kaplan, director of the Wassu Foundation, visited the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, where she participated in a talk organized by Banco Credicoop. On that occasion, the journalist Valeria Elías, from Mirador Provincial, spoke with her about the practice of female genital mutilation, the research she carries out, her career and the gender claims for which women fight in different cultures.

“2nd International Forum on FGM/C begins”

The Gambian newspaper Foroyaa publishes an account of what was the official opening of the II International Forum on FGM/C in The Gambia, "Exploring strategies and good practices: From local to global - Evidence into action", organized by Wassu Gambia Kafo and held on February 5th and 6th in Brufut.

"Why female genital mutilation in Spain will not disappear with just banning it"

In recent years the legislation has reflected the unfair and horrible that is to take a woman a part of his body without any medical benefit. In addition to being illegal both in Spain and at European level and thanks to the scientific evidence and the field work of Wassu-UAB, its ban was promoted in the Gambia in 2015.

“4,500 women at risk of genital mutilation”

4,500 women could have suffered or are at risk of suffering female genital mutilation in the Canary Islands. These are the estimates of the Wassu Foundation of the Autonomous University of Barcelona based on the country of origin where such practices are extensive, as in the case of Mali with 89% or Guinea Conakry with 96%.

”Banning FGM/C is one of Gambia Government major conquers”

Gambia government’s ban on the practice of Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C) announced by former President Yahya Jammeh in December 2015 has been branded as one of the major conquers of the country by Prof. Adriana Kaplan, Director of Wassu Gambia Kafo.

”PSOE calls for protection measures for the 18,396 girls from countries where mutilation is practiced living in Spain”

The PSOE has demanded this Monday, the eve of the International Day of Zero Tolerance with Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), that measures to raise awareness and protection be implemented for the 18,396 girls from countries where this practice persists in Spain.

 “More than 18,000 girls living in Spain are in danger of suffering from ablation”

In Spain, there are some 69,000 women from countries where Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is practiced, and of these, some 18,000 are girls under the age of 14, according to a study carried out by the Wassu Foundation of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

”Rey Juan Carlos University trains 6,000 students against female genital mutilation"

El País newspaper collects part of the results obtained by the Multisectoral Academic Program for the Prevention and Combat against Female Genital Mutilation (MAP-FGM), a project co-funded by the European Commission, led by the Observatory of Gender Equality of the URJC and in which the Wassu Foundation participated together with the Vrije Universiteit of Brussels, the Roma Tre University and the ISCTE-IUL of Portugal.

”UAB´s Foundation organizes a forum on female genital mutilation in The Gambia”

The Wassu Foundation of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) organizes in The Gambia the II International Forum on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), as reported by the university center today.

“Eradicate female genital mutilation/cutting”

The Catalan media VilaWeb delves into the subject of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and its eradication, following the work of the Wassu Foundation in Africa and Spain. Xavier Montanyà, author of the article, opens it with the following information: "The FGM/C threatens three million girls every year in the world." The figure challenges the entire international community, since girls at risk are not only found in the African and Asian countries where the practice is traditionally carried out, but migrations have also moved the FGM/C to Europe.

“The law is not enough to eradicate female genital mutilation”

Within the framework of the International Seminar organised by Wassu Foundation and the Observatory for Gender Equality of the Rey Juan Carlos University, Adriana Kaplan (director of the Wassu Foundation) and Kemo Fatty (trainer at the NGO Wassu Gambia Kafo) are interviewed. They speak for el País about The Gambian framework, the importance to do preventive work and to promote the initiation without mutilation. They also explain the methodology proposed by Wassu and how, since last year, Marycelina Msuya has been implementing it in the Christian Medical College of the Kilimanjaro University (Tanzania). The news also frames the situation of the European Union, where Johnsdotter points out the need to involve the communities in the prevention of FGM to promote the abandonment of the practice.

Adriana Kaplan interviewed in Las Palmas Newspaper “la Provincia”

Las Palmas Newspaper “la Provincia” interviewed Adriana Kaplan to speak about Female Genital Mutilation and the work undertaken in The Gambia and in Spain. Dr. Kaplan exposes the methodology developed by Wassu Foundation and the new law banning the practice in The Gambia. Regarding the role that the international community has on the prevention of harmful practices like FGM, she highlights that “education is the path”. Finally, she emphasises that public policies should assume a political commitment and assign the needed resources to train primary care professionals on FGM. She points out that it is the only way to ensure a preventive and continuous work with girls, women and families.

TV3 presents Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting due to the International Day against the practice

Due to the new Law against FGM/C in The Gambia and the International Day against the practice, TV3 acknowledges the work done by Wassu-UAB Foundation in The Gambia. Adriana Kaplan notes that “the training is the way” in order to avoid that FGM/C is practiced to girls during the trips to their country of origin. Kaplan highlights the need to scale up prevention, sensitization and training in all the fields and to reduce the police intervention in these cases.

Adriana Kaplan interviewee in “Un Món Possible” of RTVE

Adriana Kaplan explains in Radio Televisión Española the types, location and cultural reasons of practicing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting , the importance of circularity of migration processes and presents the methodology and objectives of Wassu-UAB Foundation in Spain and NGO Wassu Gambia Kafo in The Gambia.

El País: The Gambia passes its first Law against FGM/C

El País informs about the new Law against Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in The Gambia. The article focuses on the fieldwork done by Wassu-UAB Foundation since 2008 and how it has brought scientific evidence on the negative health consequences of FGM/C. These clinical studies have planted the seeds of this process that has resulted in the emergence of the new Law.

Adriana Kaplan, executive director of Wassu-UAB Foundation, on the occasion of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM/C: «I am worried about perversity of the policies against FGM/C»

On February 6 2015, the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM/C, Adriana Kaplan speaks with the Spanish newspaper El País. The executive director and her research team r at Wassu-UAB Foundation succeeded in lifting the veto over FGM/C in The Gambia. Backed by twenty-seven years of experience and through the network of the Transnational Observatory of Applied Research for the Prevention of FGM/C, the scientific organization works in two directions, between Spain and The Gambia, for the prevention of the practice.

WGK trainings of Health Professionals in partnership with the Reproductive and Child Health Unit, under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) of The Gambia

In partnership with the Reproductive and Child Health Unit (RCH), dependent of the MoHSW of The Gambia, WGK conducted several trainings in five different regions of the country during two weeks in January 2015. These trainings were implemented under the frame of the Gambia National Training Programme for Health Professionals on FGM/C.

Approval of the Common Protocol for a Healthcare Response to FGM/C. Intervention of Aina Mangas, researcher at Wassu-UAB Foundation. .

The Spanish Ministry of Health, together with the autonomous communities, has approved the Common Protocol for a Healthcare Response to FGM/C. In her intervention, the Wassu-UAB Foundation researcher Aina Mangas emphasizes the importance of training health professionals on FGM/C preventive strategies.