VIENNA - On the occasion of End Female Genital Mutilation Day (06.02.), EPF President and founder and spokesperson of the stopFGM platform, Hon. Petra Bayr, MP (Austria), urges fellow European governments to call for the fight against this harmful practice to be continued and for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to be ended worldwide by 2030.
"The fight against FGM must continue nationally and internationally - especially because of the negative impact of the Corona crisis on the practice". She continues, "Increased poverty and school closures increase the risk of girls becoming victims of FGM".
Further explaining the relationship between the pandemic and the risk for girls to fall victim to female genital mutilation, EPF President, Petra Bayr notes that the cases of FGM are increasing internationally. The reason for this being the impoverishment of families due to job losses, social isolation and also school closures. It is therefore crucial to draw more attention to the linkage between this growing phenomenon and its causes.
"It is important to critically question activities, to celebrate successes achieved, to plan new steps and to remind those politically responsible to actively stand up against this ritual which manifests gender inequality," Bayr demands.
Zooming in on the status-quo in Austria, where between 12-18% of girls with origins in countries where FGM is practiced fall victim to this practice, Bayr highlights that:
"In order to strengthen the fight against FGM in Austria, further political measures must be taken. It is important to avoid stigmatisation. The well-being of the affected women and their daughters must be prioritised. In addition, further training of health personnel who come into contact FGM cases, systematic data collection and sensitisation need to contribute to better action against FGM in Austria in the future."
Read the original German Press Release via the link below: