Description
The United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights stated in a recent report that the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) continues across borders
and countries due to its secretive nature. The report highlighted that the
phenomenon has taken the form of "vacation cutting," where families,
particularly in Europe and North America, take their daughters to their
countries of origin to undergo the procedure during school holidays. The issue
does not stop there; in some cases, girls are taken to countries that serve as
"cross-border FGM hubs," and practitioners themselves cross borders
to perform the "cutting."
The report urges countries
to adopt regional and international cooperation in their efforts to eliminate
this practice by allocating sufficient resources to establish and implement
regional policy frameworks and to develop cooperation agreements to prevent and
combat FGM outside the country and across borders, while also providing support
to survivors. The report also calls on countries to adopt effective preventive
measures, designed in consultation with survivors, relevant civil society
organizations, and in partnership with affected communities, religious, and
traditional leaders.
To end FGM : Arab boys and men speak out
