I would like to remind you of the manifesto I published together with my team in 2005.
"You will not see the whole picture unless you step out of the frame", writes Salman Rushdie in The Ground Beneath her Feet.
It is time to step out of the frame. I still have a long road ahead of me. I have very clear ideas of what I want to achieve in my fight against genital mutilation in Europe.
Here are my 15 goals:
I want:
…everyone in Europe to recognise genital mutilation as a problem common to all countries and one we can no longer shut our eyes to;
…every religious community to take a clear stand against the practice of genital mutilation;
…every FGM victim needing help to get the help she needs;
…all European governments to issue regulations to protect girls from genital mutilation – in Europe and abroad;
…all European governments to pass legislation enabling perpetrators and their accomplices to be brought to justice;
…it to be mandatory for every incident that comes to light of mutilation of a minor to be reported for prosecution;
…all European countries to regard genital mutilation as equal to political persecution and as grounds for asylum;
…everyone to be enlightenend about the status of genital mutilation: not culture, but torture;
…all health workers to become well-informed about FGM and to know how to help victims,
…all victims, where it is their wish, to have free access to surgery to counteract the damage and to receive psychological counselling;
…genital mutilation to be a subject that people can and will openly discuss;
…all the groups working to combat FGM to come together and agree on their policy and strategies;
…all organizations working to combat FGM to have sufficient funding to be able to function efficiently;
…everyone in Europe to put into action my dream of an end to genital mutilation.
Please support our fight here!
