3 out of 10 daughters of parents from countries practicing female genital mutilation remain threatened in France today. To combat this phenomenon, a prevention campaign has been launched.
- Excision consists of the partial or total removal of the external sexual organs of the woman or other lesion of the female sexual organs.
- According to the European reference network End FGM, 190,000 girls living in the European Union are at risk of excision, and there are more than 4 million in the world.
“Holidays in Guinea! Very happy, for the first time, with my older sister, we were going to discover the sun, the sea and the beach, enough to make the girlfriends jealous when we got back! But the holidays turned into a nightmare. We We were circumcised with our cousins. A woman held our legs, a second held our arms and a third cut off our clitoris”, says F., born in France and left at the age of 12 for Guinea.
“The long summer holidays represent a real threat”
To fight against these mutilations, the prevention campaign “Excision Alert” was launched at the start of the summer holidays. In France, the number of circumcised women is estimated at 125,000, compared to 575,000 in the European Union. 3 out of 10 daughters of parents from countries practicing female genital mutilation remain threatened in France today.
“The long summer holidays represent a real threat for those who, impatient at the idea of leaving, will ultimately experience trauma and end up mutilated”, alert the Excision association, let’s talk about it!. “Particular vigilance must therefore be exercised as vacation departures approach. The #AlerteExcision campaign aims to raise awareness on this subject and protect the young girls directly concerned”, continue the activists.
An anonymous and free helpline
Since July 6, the date that marks the start of the school holidays, a film with several visuals has been shared on the social networks of members of the Excision network, let’s talk about it!. An anonymous and free listening service is also open all summer 7 days a week, accessible via chat commentonsaime.fr. The campaign also aims to refer to the information site alert- excision.org and, if necessary, the national help line for children at risk (119).
All young girls living in France, whatever their nationality, are protected from excision: it is a crime punishable by French law, even if the act is committed abroad. For Ramata KAPO, president of the Excision network, let’s talk about it! and activist against female genital mutilation: “numerous cases of excisions perpetrated during family visits abroad are observed each year. An alarming situation which pushes us to redouble our vigilance during the summer period, which is moreover in a context of health crisis which leaves to fear a resurgence of female sexual mutilation. While many young girls will leave the territory this summer, alerting and freeing up speech on the subject is essential to protect them, have their rights respected and preserve their physical integrity”.
.
