Today, February 6, is the International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a serious form of violence that affects women and girls throughout the world and from which, unfortunately, our country is not exempt.
A survey carried out by the University of Milan Bicocca has in fact ascertained that in Italy the women who have undergone female genital mutilation are 85-90 thousand, of which 5-7 thousand are minors, and the girls still at risk today are approximately 5 thousand.
Although in recent years we have witnessed a gradual decrease in this phenomenon due to a pressing educational campaign, COVID-19 risks nullifying the results achieved so far, both due to the interruptions of many prevention programs and due to the limitations imposed by the current pandemic.
The entire international community has a moral duty to offer its contribution to put an end to FGM, a goal that the UN has appropriately included among the Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 5 target 5.3) of the 2030 Agenda.
CISL and ANOLF have always been at the forefront of preventing and combating this aberrant practice that puts at risk the physical, mental and sexual health of the victims, often very young girls.
Also this year, therefore, we are promoting the awareness campaign “MGF – Mutilations Come to an End” to reiterate how these practices constitute an unacceptable violation of human rights and an extreme form of gender discrimination that must be put to an end.
The General Secretariat Brown Barberis
The Co-President ANOLF Paul Baiamonte
