Jaha Dukureh

Jaha Dukureh (born 1989 or 1990) Dukureh was subjected to female genital mutilation in the Gambia when she was a little more than a week old. and was the lead campaigner in The Guardians End FGM Guardian Global Media Campaign. In April 2016, she was named to the 2016 Time 100 list. Dukureh was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in February 2018, has won the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, and is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for Africa. A feature film about Jaha's life was released by Accidental Pictures and The Guardian. Her memoir, I Will Scream to the World was published by Kensington Books in 2024.

Life

Dukureh was born in The Gambia. She was subjected to Type III female genital mutilation when she was one week old. After experiencing difficulty consummating her marriage, she underwent surgery to undo the infibulation, which she likened to "[going] through the FGM all over again". Dukureh's marriage dissolved and she moved in with family members. She managed to enroll in a New York City high school after being rejected by 10 other schools because she did not have the consent of a legal guardian. That year, she founded Safe Hands for Girls, an anti-FGM non-profit organization.

Dukureh's activism led to the banning of female genital mutilation in The Gambia.

Dukureh currently resides in Atlanta.

2021 presidential campaign On 13 October 2021, Dukureh announced her bid to stand as a candidate in the 2021 Gambian presidential election for the People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism, having joined the party in March 2021. Dukureh's campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, with Halifa Sallah being selected to stand as the PDOIS candidate in November 2021.