The AFTER project

The project has carried out research activities including mapping of services, policies and practices; awareness-raising activities on the consequences and risks of FGM targeting women, girls, men and community leaders; lobbying and advocacy towards local, national and international institutions and policymakers; dissemination of videos and other informative material and the creation of a network of “champions of change” made up of activists, policymakers, professionals of social, health and educational services.

According to the European Institution for Gender Equality, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) has increasingly become a problem in EU Member States because of the presence of FGM-practising migrant communities. At the European level, many states have adopted legislations that criminalize the act.  However, these laws often do not have an impact on the incidence of a practice that is perceived as an element of the cultural identity of many migrant communities. In this regard, more effort is needed to design prevention and awareness-raising strategies targeting teachers, medical staff, social workers and others likely to encounter at-risk children and their families in communities where FGM/C are practised.