The Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C is a consortium of civil society organizations, champions, survivors, and grassroots representatives united in a singular mission: to support the abandonment and prevention of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). The coregroup includes Amref Health Africa, Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW), End FGM Canada Network, End FGM European Network, Equality Now, Orchid Project, Sahiyo, The U.S. End FGM/C Network, There Is No Limit Foundation, Tostan, The Girl Generation, The Asia Network to end FGM/C, and The Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices.
PREAMBLE
- FGM/C is a violation of the human rights of women and girls and must be ended in all its forms
- We need to make FGM/C a global priority, in the same way the global community responded to other global epidemics, such as HIV/AIDs
- Our shared goal of ending FGM/C will not be achieved without comprehensive mainstreaming of FGM/C interventions into crisis response and recovery but also broader gender-based violence (GBV), health and development programming
Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C: An Explanatory Video
Global Platform presents: Global Solidarity
SUPPORTING CHANGE FROM WITHIN - CHALLENGING SOCIAL AND GENDER NORMS
- We share a vision of a world free from FGM/C and will work in partnership with each other, all communities, governments, donors, multilateral bodies and others to end the practice by 2030 in line with the SDGs
- Whole communities must be mobilised and empowered at the grassroots level if we are to end FGM/C – women and girls, men and boys, traditional and religious leaders, health workers
- Ending FGM/C requires addressing the root causes of gender inequality at the community level, including gender stereotypes, unequal power relations, and negative social norms
STRENGTHENING THE EVIDENCE BASE THROUGH CRITICAL RESEARCH
- Fill the knowledge gap on FGM/C survivors’ specific needs, impact on economic empowerment, and behaviour change around emerging trends such as medicalisation and lower ages of cutting
- Use community-based participatory approaches within research efforts and ensure that research results and data are synthesised for communities to use
- Create, test, and implement standardised universal indicators that are informed by context specific measures and demand country-level reporting
IMPROVING WELLBEING VIA SUPPORT AND SERVICES FOR SURVIVORS
- More support is needed for survivors in various forms, including security and protection for survivors, targeted research and resources to enable health and emotional wellbeing
- Enable the transformative power of survivors and survivor-led networks through support to connect with each other, other gender-based violence movements and capacity build
ADDRESSING EMERGING TRENDS AROUND FGM/C
- We need an integrated, intersectional approach to ending FGM/C recognising the connections with other forms of gender-based violence and linking with existing movements
- We are committed to working with religious leaders, health workers and governments to respond to adaptations to the practice which continue to violate women’s rights, such as medicalisation, cross-border practices, and lowering the age at which FGM/C is carried out
INCREASING RESOURCES TO ACHIEVE THE GLOBAL GOAL
- We call on all stakeholders to prioritise resources towards grassroots and community-led programmes. Funds should be more flexible, sustainable and accessible for communities and grassroots and capacity building should be provided as well as networks
- Investment is needed in better research into what is working and what is not to end FGM/C. This research needs to be participatory and involve multiple stakeholders and should be made available and accessible
- We are focused on coming together and working collaboratively to address what existing gaps there are, what are the costs of FGM/C, and what do we need to end this globally