The purest choice
Dublin Core
Title
The purest choice
Subject
Motivation: In my work I focus on women’s rights. I wanted to do something about FGM in Egypt, because nobody knows about it – very few people at least. And for me, Egypt was a very good example for why it is so hard to fight the practice. It’s a taboo subject. The problem with Egypt as well is, that it’s a dictatorship. There is basically no action on the field. NGO’s have no freedom to do anything. And the traditions are still really anchored in society. Egypt is one of the countries where it’s the most widely spread, but yet with the least initiatives.
The first time I came to Egypt I wanted to highlight something more positive. The initiatives, actions, the way the mentality is changing. After a few weeks I actually realized there are no initiatives – nothing. So I had to rethink: How could I highlight the change of mentality when there is no action. That is why I turned towards portraits women who chose to abandon the tradition. It’s still a work in progress. It’s incomplete.
The first time I came to Egypt I wanted to highlight something more positive. The initiatives, actions, the way the mentality is changing. After a few weeks I actually realized there are no initiatives – nothing. So I had to rethink: How could I highlight the change of mentality when there is no action. That is why I turned towards portraits women who chose to abandon the tradition. It’s still a work in progress. It’s incomplete.
Description
Work in progress
We often tend to restrain Female Genital Mutilation to Subsaharan countries, unaware that the practice actually appeared first in Egypt in pharaonic times, while today 90% of the women aged 15-65 are still victims of circumcision.
The khitan-“purification” in Arabic-is now a practice deeply rooted in the social fabric of the country, indifferent of social or religious background. Although the phenomenon has slightly decreased the last decade, the political turmoil and the weight of traditions relying on religious arguments are preventing the implementation of concrete initiatives with real impact.
My project therefore focuses on where actual change did occur; it focuses on women who took the decision to not perpetrate the practice despite social pressure. In the process, each woman becomes an activist at her own level. With the lack of effective “top to bottom”efforts, it's important to highlight stories of hope at the roots of society.
The project evolves around a series of portraits of these survivors of FGM, depicted with their daughters whom they refused to circumcise.
Far from being the passive victims as whom they are usually depicted as, these survivors of FGM have used their own traumatic experience to create positive change.
The portraits are a celebration of a possibility of progress, while pointing out the difficulties of the fight and the possible ways to overcome them.
We often tend to restrain Female Genital Mutilation to Subsaharan countries, unaware that the practice actually appeared first in Egypt in pharaonic times, while today 90% of the women aged 15-65 are still victims of circumcision.
The khitan-“purification” in Arabic-is now a practice deeply rooted in the social fabric of the country, indifferent of social or religious background. Although the phenomenon has slightly decreased the last decade, the political turmoil and the weight of traditions relying on religious arguments are preventing the implementation of concrete initiatives with real impact.
My project therefore focuses on where actual change did occur; it focuses on women who took the decision to not perpetrate the practice despite social pressure. In the process, each woman becomes an activist at her own level. With the lack of effective “top to bottom”efforts, it's important to highlight stories of hope at the roots of society.
The project evolves around a series of portraits of these survivors of FGM, depicted with their daughters whom they refused to circumcise.
Far from being the passive victims as whom they are usually depicted as, these survivors of FGM have used their own traumatic experience to create positive change.
The portraits are a celebration of a possibility of progress, while pointing out the difficulties of the fight and the possible ways to overcome them.
Creator
Chloe Sharrock
Source
https://www.sharrockchloe.com/the-purest-choice
Publisher
- Amnesty International Magazine France
- Equal Times
Date
2018-2019
Rights
Approved to publish
Relation
Commissioned/supported/financed:self-initiated, self-financed
Language
English, French, Spanish
Type
Portrait photography
Coverage
Location: Upper Egypt, Cairo, Alexandria