Combating Female Genital Mutilation in Europe
Every year, 3 million girls and women are subjected to the harmful traditional practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Worldwide, the number of girls and women who have undergone this practice is estimated to lie between 100 and 150 million.
FGM is not only an important issue in Africa, the Middle-East, and Asia where it has been traditionally practised, but due to the arrival of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers from these countries to the West, to Europe, North America, and Australia, FGM has also become a Western concern.
It is estimated that in the European Union alone, 500,000 girls and women are affected or threatened by the practice of FGM.
The magnitude and serious medical and social consequences of this practice in Europe and, moreover, the human rights that might be violated by it, should not be underestimated.
In my thesis, I would like to shed light on the harmful traditional practice of FGM
carried out in Europe, and explore how this practice can be combated most effectively, by means of legislative and/or preventative tools, in order to protect the women and girls concerned in the best possible way.
Chapter 1 of this thesis sets out what the harmful traditional practice of FGM exactly entails; where, by whom and why it is practised, and which medical and social consequences it results in. Chapter 2 addresses the human rights that are applicable to FGM and the various instruments where they are enshrined.
Chapter 3, 4, 5, and 6 contain a comparative analysis of legislative and preventative tools regarding FGM in the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, and
Austria. My Concluding Observations and Recommendations, in
terms of the most effective way to combat FGM in Europe, follow these Chapters.
See for thesis:
Combating Female Genital Mutilation in Europe: A Comparative Analysis of Legislative and Preventative Tools in the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, and Austria, Sophie Poldermans, L.Lm, E.Ma, 2006:
