Zero tolerance to FGM

The International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was commemorated earlier this week on 6th February.

The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations (MCWO) would like to take this opportunity to raise awareness that FGM is a form of violence against women and girls and a violation of women’s human rights.  All forms of VAW result from patriarchal structures, where men make decisions for women and girls, ‘punish’ them for ‘breaking the rules’, and make female family or community members agree on that situation.   FGM is part of the continuum of VAW for which we are all responsible and it is a clear obstacle to equality between women and men. 

FGM refers to the partial or total removal or alteration of the external female genital organs for non-medical reasons and is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15. The practice denies women and girls their right to physical and mental integrity, freedom from violence, the highest attainable standard of health, freedom from discrimination on the basis of sex, freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.  FGM is a threat to girls and women around the globe, including in Europe – a fact that has remained unacknowledged for too long.  The exact number of women and girls living with FGM in Europe is still unknown, although the European Parliament estimates that it is around 500 000 in the European Union (EU) with another 180 000 women and girls at risk of being subjected to the practice every year.  It is thought that there is more than 125 million women affected by FGM worldwide.

The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (also known as the Istanbul Convention), which was adopted in 2011, offers States both inside and outside the Council of Europe the framework for a comprehensive approach to preventing and combating such violence. It is the first treaty to recognise that FGM exists in Europe and that it needs to be systematically addressed. It requires states parties to step up preventive measures by addressing affected communities as well as the general public and relevant professionals.  It entails obligations to offer protection and support when women and girls at risk need it most – and makes sure that their needs and their safety always come first.

Although there is, at times, some controversy over whether Western values should ‘impinge’ on other cultures, the Istanbul Convention is clear that culture, custom, religion, tradition or so called “honour” shall not be considered as justification for FGM, or any acts of violence covered by the Convention.  The MCWO further supports the Council of Europe’s report and Resolution, ‘Women and religion in Europe’, which states that: “Freedom of religion cannot be accepted as a pretext to justify violations of women’s rights, be they open, subtle, legal or illegal, practiced with or without the nominal consent of the victims – women”.   

The Confederation is an umbrella organisation that represents 12 local member organisations which collectively have 24,000 female members. The MCWO is a full member of the Brussels based European Women’s Lobby.