Female genital mutilation: Report shows 68,000 victims in Germany

Authored by dw.com and submitted by Hruodland778
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The amount of women and girls in Germany who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) has increased to 68,000, the families minister announced Thursday. The increase, up 44% from the last estimated total calculated in 2017, was attributed to greater immigration from countries where FGM is more common.

Up to 15,000 girls in Germany may also be under threat of undergoing the procedure.

"Female genital mutilation is serious violation of human rights and an archaic crime that violates girls' and women's right to physical integrity and sexual self-determination," Minister Franziska Giffey told reporters. "It has lifelong physical and psychological consequences for those affected."

Giffey said that her goal was "to protect girls and young women from this and to offer them help."

Read more: Why do so many girls still face FGM?

Watch video 07:36 Share Street Debate: FGM in Kenya Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3cqsd Street Debate: FGM in Kenya

Giffey called for new measures in local communities to prevent the number from rising further.

Chair of rights group NALA Fadumo Korn said that the focus going forward should be "empowering mothers to protect their children." She presented a petition of 125,000 signatories against FGM to Giffey.

The rise from 44,000 in 2017 was so large because of increased immigration from countries like Eritrea, Somalia, Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria, Giffey said.

The World Health Organization estimates that around 200 million women and children around the world have undergone female genital cutting.

Read more: 'In Search': A survivor's story of female genital mutilation

Watch video 03:50 Share A young Guinean's fight against FGM Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3GMNq A young Guinean's fight against FGM

TRNogger on June 26th, 2020 at 11:48 UTC »

Chair of rights group NALA Fadumo Korn said that the focus going forward should be "empowering mothers to protect their children."

Totally wrong approach. People always forget that it is usually mothers who enforce cultural norms, even if they are mysoginistic and rooted in patriarchical ideas of sexual control over women. These children have to be protected from their mothers.

Here is a quote from an OHCHR-published study on FGM:

From the interviews conducted at the community level (excluding region-al bureau and University interviewees) almost all, surprisingly, confirmed that mothers are the number one pushing group in sustaining FGM. This has been also honestly confirmed by interviewed mothers themselves. Mothers insisted most on authorizing their baby girls to be circumcised. They want their daughters to pass through the pain and suffering they have passed through. This was an interesting finding for me when every interviewee agreed on mothers as the most FGM wanting group of the community than any group I was thinking about.

iperblaster on June 26th, 2020 at 11:29 UTC »

Are 68000 mutilation performed in Germany ? Or are there 68000 women with mutilation now immigrated to Germany and denouncing the practice?

timdongow on June 26th, 2020 at 08:12 UTC »

Map of prevalence of FGM around the world. For anyone interested.