Ending female genital mutilation as a global challenge: community empowerment and promoting change through dialogue, education, and advocacy

Francesca Simi, Laura Gentile

Abstract. Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes all procedures involving the alteration or removal of female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is often carried out on young girls and adolescents. FGM offers no health benefits and causes serious physical, psychological, and social problems affecting millions of women and girls around the world, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The reasons behind it are not religious but social and cultural. This practice is a violation of human rights and is condemned by international treaties such as the Maputo protocol and the Istanbul convention. Organisations like Amref Health Africa are working to eliminate FGM by involving local communities in the eradication of harmful practices while fully respecting cultural values. The success of projects in Kenya, which have significantly reduced the number of cases, is encouraging other countries to adopt similar strategies. In Europe, and specifically in Italy, projects such as P-ACT and Y-ACT involve institutions, young people, and migrant communities. They train professionals and activists to promote change and rejection of FGM. The most effective strategies have proved to be those involving education, advocacy and intergenerational dialogue, which highlight the importance of empowering women, young people and communities in the fight against FGM.