More than 140 million girls around the world have experienced female genital mutilation. Until a few years ago the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which is most common in Western, Eastern and North Eastern Africa and some Asian and Middle Eastern countries, was an unknown phenomenon in the Maltese islands. The issue has become of global importance with the advent of widespread migration and globalisation.
The introduction of the law against FGM in Malta in September 2013 was a step in the right direction, however, the Malta Girl Guides Association (MGG) feels there is still lack of awareness about the illegal practice among the Maltese population.
With the benefit of the public funding for Small Initiative Schemes (SIS) operated by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector, the MGG hosted a seminar on FGM under the patronage of Health Parliamentary Secretary Dr Chris Fearne. This was meant to serve as a follow-up to the introduction of the anti-FGM legislation in Malta. Being a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) with 10 million members in 146 countries worldwide, the MGG seminar was organised as part of the Stop the Violence project designed jointly by UN Women and WAGGGS. Such project was chosen based on a consultation with girls and young women members of the MGG’s advocacy team about what most concerns them and what they most want to take action on. Violence happens to girls and young women who live in communities where we have pledged to make a difference. As an association intended only for girls and young women, it offers a platform and the right environment for girls to develop both personally and socially to discover their fullest potential through a diverse and interactive program, offering them a world of opportunities as responsible citizens. The MGG has a responsibility to these girls and young women and organised this seminar as an opportunity to empower them to speak about issues affecting them worldwide.
The badge curriculum of this project is designed to engage children and young people to reflect on gender-based violence. The project involves all members of the associations, regardless of their age, to claim their rights and free this world from violence and the fear of violence. The core outcomes are to change gender inequality, challenge violence against girls and young women, support respectful relationships and act to stop violence. Our programme, based on non-formal education can create a powerful force for change by empowering girls and young women to understand and assert their rights and by challenging root causes of violence and reaching out to boys and men. The MGG believes that girls are not just victims of violence, they are instigators of their own futures and the leaders of change.
Through the seminar, the MGG raised awareness on FGM on a local level with professionals who are in direct contact with women, especially migrants, and spoke up for FGM potential victims. A panel of professional speakers, mainly from the legal and medical sectors, addressed the seminar which ended with the participants engaging in an interactive discussion on the way forward. The MGG called on the authorities to start collecting data about FGM practices on the island, to give more information on enforcement and implementation of the anti-FGM legislation and to support all professionals who might come in contact with FGM victims in Malta.