Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Project Start Date: February 2015
Duration: 12 Months
Commissioning Organization: National Commission for the Promotion of Equality
Final Reports and Publications
- Report on Female Genital Mutilation in Malta based on findings from literature and interviews / focus group
- Leaflets on Female Genital Mutilation in English/Maltese, Somali, Arabic and Tigrinia
About the Project
At the People for Change Foundation we have been commissioned by the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) to carry out a piece of research on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Malta. The research forms part of the project ‘Forms of Violence in Malta – a gender perspective’, supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity - PROGRESS (2007 - 2013) that is implemented by the European Commission.
The research, looks both at perceptions on the practice as well as services available to those who have had the practice and those at risk of it. The research aims to shed light on the needs of migrant women coming from female genital mutilation practising countries, women who experienced FGM, as well as the needs of healthcare providers working with these women.
The end result will be a report that will provide an overview of the circumstances of women affected or potentially affected by FGM and to raise further awareness on FGM in Malta; as well as to address both healthcare workers’ and policy makers’ capacity needs in the area.
The research, looks both at perceptions on the practice as well as services available to those who have had the practice and those at risk of it. The research aims to shed light on the needs of migrant women coming from female genital mutilation practising countries, women who experienced FGM, as well as the needs of healthcare providers working with these women.
The end result will be a report that will provide an overview of the circumstances of women affected or potentially affected by FGM and to raise further awareness on FGM in Malta; as well as to address both healthcare workers’ and policy makers’ capacity needs in the area.
Aims and Objectives
- To provide a broad overview of the practice and incidence of FGM/C in Malta and to engage with the issue senstively, analytically in all its complexity
- To consider FGM/C in a wide range of perspectives including its legal, political, social-cultural and medical dimensions
- To bridge the gap between that exists between civil society groups focusing on migrant issues and those focusing on women’s issues
- Aims to consider individuals in different situations and multiple stages including 1) instances of indivdials having undergone FGM/C who are now in Malta and experiencing its effects 2) potential incidents of FGM/C in Malta and 3) situations where an individual is taken out of Malta to practice FGM/C
- To address the designation of refugee status and other forms of humanitarian protection on the basis of danger of undergoing FGM/C
- To raise awareness of the issue in Malta in order to sensitise stakeholders as well as enable the possibility for comprehensive training for all those involved
Background
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is a traditional practice of cutting/mutilation of the female genital organs which has affected nearly 140 million of women and girls worldwide. In Africa alone, each year 3 million girls are at risk for cutting. FGM/C high incidence countries exist across a wide geographic area and cuts across many ethnicities, religions and socio-cultural contexts. The reasons for undergoing FGM/C are therefore wider ranging and hard to map.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified four main types of mutilation: clitoridectomy, excision, infibulation and “unclassified”, the latter including all other kinds of harmful procedures realized for non-medical purposes as for example pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization. This kind of practice poses serious physical and mental health risks for women and young girls, especially those who have undergone extreme forms of the procedure. They may experience long-term complications such as: problems urinating, cysts, infections, painful menstruation, infertility, sexual dysfunction, painful intercourse and blood-borne diseases (Hepatitis A, B, HIV/AIDS). Moreover, this kind of experience may lead women to avoid medical institutions and practitioners.
There is little information or data available about the situation in Malta and legal measures taken specifically against FGM/C have come relatively late. This is the case despite the fact that many asylum seekers in Malta are from high-incidence FGM/C countries. However, to date, it does not appear that the practice has been carried out in Malta.
Malta has ratified several international conventions condemning FGM/C, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
In 2013, Labour MP Chris Fearne, supported by the Malta Confederation of Women's Organisation (MCWO), took the initiative to table a private member's Bill in Parliament proposing the introduction of a specific law banning FGM/C. The Bill aimed to outlaw the practice of FGM/C performed against Maltese citizens or permanent residents both in Malta and abroad, but also to criminalise the practice performed by Maltese citizens abroad; it included two clauses banning forced marriage and forced surgical sterilisation as well. The Bill was unanimously approved in January 2014 and was included in the Criminal Code the following February.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified four main types of mutilation: clitoridectomy, excision, infibulation and “unclassified”, the latter including all other kinds of harmful procedures realized for non-medical purposes as for example pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization. This kind of practice poses serious physical and mental health risks for women and young girls, especially those who have undergone extreme forms of the procedure. They may experience long-term complications such as: problems urinating, cysts, infections, painful menstruation, infertility, sexual dysfunction, painful intercourse and blood-borne diseases (Hepatitis A, B, HIV/AIDS). Moreover, this kind of experience may lead women to avoid medical institutions and practitioners.
There is little information or data available about the situation in Malta and legal measures taken specifically against FGM/C have come relatively late. This is the case despite the fact that many asylum seekers in Malta are from high-incidence FGM/C countries. However, to date, it does not appear that the practice has been carried out in Malta.
Malta has ratified several international conventions condemning FGM/C, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
In 2013, Labour MP Chris Fearne, supported by the Malta Confederation of Women's Organisation (MCWO), took the initiative to table a private member's Bill in Parliament proposing the introduction of a specific law banning FGM/C. The Bill aimed to outlaw the practice of FGM/C performed against Maltese citizens or permanent residents both in Malta and abroad, but also to criminalise the practice performed by Maltese citizens abroad; it included two clauses banning forced marriage and forced surgical sterilisation as well. The Bill was unanimously approved in January 2014 and was included in the Criminal Code the following February.
This Project is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity - PROGRESS (2007 - 2013).
This programme is implemented by the European Commission.
This programme is implemented by the European Commission.
