Welcome step in fight against FGM

THE recent introduction of legislation to prevent female genital mutilation is a welcome and progressive step bringing Ireland in line with international best practice and providing much needed legal clarity on the issue.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) or cutting (FGC), as it is also known, is estimated to have affected 140 million women and girls around the world today.

Each year, about 3 million girls, or 8,200 girls per day, are subjected to this practice.

Many bleed to death as a result of the procedure and survivors can suffer severe and lasting effects such as menstrual problems, painful sexual intercourse, HIV/Aids, infertility, birth complications and infection from being cut by dirty utensils.

FGC is a cultural rather than a religious practice which predates both Islam and Christianity. Reasons for it include control of female sexuality, a perception that female genitalia are unhygienic and unsightly and hence that uncut women are impure.

Plan Ireland is actively lobbying government and working alongside local grassroots organisations in west Africa and elsewhere to change public attitudes to FGC by advocating, raising awareness and educating government and local communities.

Since the introduction of this approach, Guinea Bissau has recently introduced a law to criminalise FGC and many communities and villages in west Africa have abandoned the practice.

There is still much work to be done given the scale of this problem in the developing world.

However it is encouraging to see that Ireland is taking steps to deal with this issue by making it an offence to remove a girl or woman from the State for the purpose of such mutilation.

David Dalton

CEO

Plan Ireland

Lower Baggot Street

Dublin 2