Action plan for the prevention of female genital mutilation (FGM)

Abstract

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM) is a practice, which causes injury to girls' and women's genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 girls and women have undergone FGM and 650 to 3,080 girls are at risk becoming victims of the procedure in Finland. FGM violates several international human rights treaties and, based on the Penal Code of Finland, it can be considered to correspond to aggravated assault. The practice deteriorates women's equality and right of self-determination and causes health complications and social problems.

The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence obligates Finland to prepare guidelines for a system for preventing FGM and to ensure their effective implementation. This action plan aims to continue the good practices that Finland has implemented to prevent FGM and to develop new means to help victims of FGM, for example.

The main objective of the action plan is to increase healthcare and social welfare professionals' knowledge and competence by ensuring that they are provided with training on how to talk about FGM and on their duty to notify. Another objective is to ensure effective dissemination of information to groups at risk of being subjected to FGM. The action plan includes useful information for decision-makers, education and research organisations, and other organisations, which should, for their own part, participate in the prevention of FGM and the promotion of the health and welfare of those who have been subjected to the practice. This action plan is a follow-on to the action plan for the prevention of FGM for 2012–2016, adopted by Finland.