Press Statement from Frances Fitzgerald MEP
Saturday 6th February 2021
Frances Fitzgerald, MEP for Dublin and full member of the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee, today (Saturday) called for a comprehensive National Action Plan to tackle Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Ireland.
Marking International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation today (6th of February), MEP Fitzgerald commented,
“Female Genital Mutilation is a heinous crime, affecting millions of women and girls across the world. According to Action Aid Ireland and AkiDwA, as many as 1600 girls across Ireland are at risk, and with the advent of the COVID-19, this number is only expected to grow. This is due to confinement and isolation measures resulting in an increased risk of FGM with cases going undetected due to the interruption of schooling. Globally, the pandemic is estimated to lead to 2 million additional cases of FGM. This is unacceptable. FGM is violence against women, it is a crime and we must do our utmost to eradicate it.”
“FGM is a crime that requires a complex response, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach from different fields. From medical support and awareness, to teacher education and training to look out for the signs, social worker knowledge to support victims to awareness of Gardai and the judiciary, a comprehensive approach to FGM is required if we are to succeed in tackling it.”
“As such, to ensure that a comprehensive and robust approach is taken to combatting FGM, I believe we need a new national action plan. In addition, adequate budgetary resources to ensure that the plan can achieve its goals is essential, and it is my hope that government will allocate necessary resources to ensuring that the plan succeeds. Women and girls across Ireland need this plan and support to tackle this horrific violation of bodily integrity.”
“We must all work together to end FGM now” she concluded.
ENDS
Contact:
Una Clarke: Una.clarke@europarl.europa.eu
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