«In 2024 4.4 million girls at risk». In Italy over 87,000 women excised. Laura Gentile of Amref: «In Italy we work inspired by good African practices». The event of the Rome Prevention and Counteracting Female Genital Mutilation Network will take place on February 6th in the Campidoglio
Female genital mutilation, or cutting, is recognized internationally as a violation of human rights. Over 200 million women worldwide have undergone genital mutilation, and according to UNFPA data in 2024, almost 4.4 million girls – equivalent to more than 12,000 a day – are at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM).
February 6th is the World Day of Zero Tolerance against Female Genital Mutilation, established by the United Nations with the aim of raising awareness and intensifying efforts to eliminate this practice.
Africa is the continent where the phenomenon is most widespread, with 91.5 million girls over the age of 9 being victims of these practices. Although they pose a serious risk to the health and well-being of women and girls, in many communities they represent a custom rooted in traditional social norms. «It is an ancient practice that has been handed down from generation to generation» says Awa Diallo, a former cutter. In the community of Awa, in southern Senegal, over 40% of girls are subjected to FGM practiced as a sign of cultural identity. Awa is now an activist against mutilation and is part of the African Led Program of which Amref is the promoter. In addition to Senegal, Amref is involved in the fight against FGM in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi, and in Kenya, where, in the county of Kajiado alone, from 2009 to today, Amref’s action has allowed a 24% reduction in FGM, and over 20,000 girls are directly and indirectly protected by this practice.
Female genital mutilation is also a concrete reality in Europe, where today more than 600,000 women and girls who have undergone FGM live and another 180,000 are at risk every year (UNHCR). Italy, in particular, is one of the countries that hosts the largest number of excised women – more than 87,000 – as a result of a significant female migratory flow coming from countries with a high prevalence of FGM. «In Italy every day we work inspired by the good practices that Amref is carrying out in African countries» explains Laura Gentile, Project Coordinator of Amref Italia. «On the Italian territory we deal not only with training and raising awareness of services and institutions, but with them we build action networks with members of the communities linked to countries where FGM is practiced and with the new generations, as with the Y-Project act, present in Rome, Milan, Turin and Padua, where networks for the prevention and fight against FGM are already active”.
On February 6, on the occasion of the World Day of “Zero Tolerance” against FGM, the Roman Network for the Prevention and Combating of Female Genital Mutilation will host a training day in the Campidoglio: an interregional training and exchange workshop, in the presence of institutions , local and national bodies and stakeholders.
Protomoteca Hall Municipality of Rome – 9.00 – 17.00
February 5, 2024 – Updated February 5, 2024, 1:44 pm
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