Over 200 million of women and girls around the world have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), yet one of the few positives in recent years has been an increased awareness of the practice.
Could the next step be total eradication? The notion feels far-fetched right now, but a group of Kenyan teenagers have invented an app which they hope will do just that.
i-Cut will help connect girls affected by FGM to legal and medical assistance, while those forced to undergo the procedure can also press a panic button to alert local authorities.
The five teenagers, aged 15 to 17, entered their idea into this year’s international Technovation competition, which challenges girls to create an app that solves problems faced by their communities. They are the only Africans participating and will soon be flying to California for a chance to win $15,000 (£11,350).
