It's a taboo topic and an age-old practice across several countries and religious traditions

in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. An estimated 230 million women and girls are subjected to

genital mutilation or cutting. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from Senegal, where one group has had

success in getting thousands of African communities to abandon

the practice. A note that the group does not receive any current funding from USAID, so it's unaffected

by cuts to that agency. And a warning, this story contains some explicit references.

In the small town of Jalakoto recently, there was a coming-out party for several nearby rural communities. A boisterous and until a few years ago, very unlikely gathering called a declaration,

attended by elected, traditional and religious leaders.

One after the other, these communities came forward to proclaim that they were abandoning female genital mutilation or gutting.

It's a removal, partly or wholly, of the clitoris, a practice some scholars trace to beliefs

about chastity until marriage or even hygiene, dating back some 2,000 years, one that the

UN and governments have long tried to eradicate.

The news rule is you do not, you do not cut your daughter.

On a bumpy ride to the declaration, I asked Molly Melching what's bringing about the change

here?

The key difference, she says, it's not a directive to eradicate, but a decision to abandon

cutting.

We need to abandon ourselves.

It's not because someone tells us to.

Melching is globally recognized as founder of a group called Tostan, a breakthrough, best

known for helping communities across several African countries abandon FGC.

It's not exactly what the Danville, Illinois native set out to do when she moved to Senegal,

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