February 6th is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a day to highlight the flagrant violation of women's rights, as enshrined in human rights law.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that approximately three million girls undergo genital mutilation each year, with the highest incidence among girls under 15, primarily in Africa and the Middle East. In global data, the United Nations estimates that 200 million women and girls have undergone genital mutilation.
This practice is completely invisible in our society, and we need to be aware of it in order to be agents of change. A clear example is that in Spain, there are approximately 24,000 girls at risk of undergoing this type of cutting, but migration makes it possible for mutilation cases to occur in all Western countries, including our own.
Due to these events, the Cieza Red Cross Youth is organizing a conference on this issue this Saturday, February 17th, at 6:30 p.m. at the Siyâsa Museum in Cieza. The conference will provide information about FGM and its context, understanding this type of cultural practice as a health issue and a violation of the rights of girls and women. To this end, Pilar Almansa, a professor in the UMU Nursing Department and collaborator with the NGO Demusa, will be present, introducing us to this topic.
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