A national steering committee to strengthen Ireland’s response to female genital mutilation (FGM) is being established.
Expressions of interest from people interested in being part of the steering committee are currently being sought by AkiDwA, an organisation working with migrant women.
AkiDwA released statistics last year which showed that as many as 5,790 women and girls in Ireland are estimated to have been subjected to the practice.
FGM is the practice of partially or fully removing the external female genitalia, or other injury to this part of the body.
Since 2012, it is an offence in Ireland to attempt to or to perform FGM.
It is also a criminal offence for someone resident in Ireland to take a girl to another country to undergo FGM.
The penalties are up to 14 years in prison and/or a fine of €10,000.
Ireland’s first conviction under the legislation was overturned in the Court of Appeal and a nolle prosequi was entered in a retrial of the case last July.
AkiDwA is seeking FGM survivors, along with representatives from government departments, state agencies, healthcare, educational institutions, and frontline service providers, to become part of the steering committee.
The organisation says that the steering committee will have a number of functions including:
Developing a national action plan on FGM;
Strengthening intergovernmental co-ordination;
Supporting community-led initiatives;
Enhancing professional training;
Engaging men and boys in FGM prevention.
Last October, then justice minister Helen McEntee announced that a mapping exercise of services for women and girls affected by FGM was to be undertaken by the HSE.
The aim of the project was to identify gaps in the current provision to victims/survivors of FGM.
A report published in November 2023 by Grevio, a Council of Europe group tasked with combating violence against women, said there was a need for Irish authorities to “ensure that comprehensive and binding protocols are in place for healthcare staff to identify, treat and further refer victims of domestic violence, FGM and sexual violence/rape, and that the relevant training is provided to staff”.
The same report found an increase of 370% in 2022 in services provided by a clinic in Dublin to women who had undergone FGM.
Gardaí are working with external partners to raise awareness of FGM through Operation Limelight at multiple airports, including Dublin and Cork. The operation is organised by the National Child Protection Unit at the Garda National Protective Services Bureau.