# Ifrah Ahmed (Ifraax Axmed)

> Ifrah Ahmed (born 1989): Somali-Irish campaigner against female genital cutting and founder of the Ifrah Foundation.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/ifrah-ahmed/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who is she?

Ifrah Ahmed is a Somali-Irish social campaigner ([Wikipedia, Ifrah Ahmed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ifrah_Ahmed)). She founded the United Youth of Ireland and the Ifrah Foundation, which works to end female genital cutting (same source). See [female genital cutting](/en/society/female-genital-cutting/).

## Early life

She was born in Mogadishu in 1989 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ifrah_Ahmed)). At the age of eight she was cut by a relative who was a doctor (same source). She left Somalia at 17, during the war of 2006, and reached Ireland, where she received refugee status in 2006 (same source). She later became an Irish citizen ([UNHCR, Ifrah Ahmed](https://www.unhcr.org/us/prominent-supporters/ifrah-ahmed)). See [Somalis in Ireland](/en/diaspora/ireland/).

At a medical check after her arrival, staff had little experience of women who had been cut ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ifrah_Ahmed)). Wikipedia says this led her to go back to school and to speak publicly about what had happened to her (same source).

## Campaign in Ireland

In 2010 she set up United Youth of Ireland, a group for young immigrants (same source). She started the Ms Ethnic Ireland pageant to celebrate diversity and raise awareness (same source). Some members of the Somali community objected to her campaign (same source). Working with the Labour member of parliament Joe Costello, she pressed for a ban (same source). Ireland passed the Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act in 2012 (same source). The Irish Times credited her campaigning for the law ([Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/fighting-female-genital-mutilation-1.1677851)).

## Work in Somalia

A Somali minister for women invited her to work on child rights programmes at the ministry ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ifrah_Ahmed)). In 2016 she was appointed gender adviser to the Prime Minister of Somalia (same source). She led an 18-month study of the practice in Somalia and wrote the method for its National Action Plan to end it (same source). In 2018 she made a short documentary about a ten-year-old girl who died after being cut (same source). Wikipedia reports that the case led to Somalia's first prosecution for the practice (same source). See [health in Somalia](/en/society/health-in-somalia/).

## Film and awards

The film A Girl from Mogadishu, directed by Mary McGuckian, tells her story ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ifrah_Ahmed)). [Barkhad Abdi](/en/people/barkhad-abdi/) appears in it (same source). It premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival (same source). She won the Women4Africa Humanitarian of the Year award in 2015 and an Irish People of the Year award in 2018 (same source).

## In short

A refugee from Mogadishu who campaigned for Ireland's 2012 ban on female genital cutting and later advised Somalia's government on ending the practice.

---
I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.