“From diaspora communities to the heart of the EU: together to end FGM” Representatives of FGM-practicing communities meet Brussels-based NGOs

The END FGM European Network invites civil society representatives to discuss about the role communities can play in promoting behavioural change and the challenges they face. 

“Empowerment of communities practicing female genital mutilation (FGM) is crucial to tackle this practice at grassroots level, since true change can come only from the communities themselves. This is why communities’ representatives – both women and men – are key actors to this end. As a European Network, we at the End FGM European Network esteem that one of the components that can contribute to empower communities is the creation of opportunities to engage with civil society organisations and partners working at European level on interconnected subjects.

It is in this spirit that 4 trained community representatives coming from three EU member states (France, The Netherlands and Germany) are eager to meet with civil society representatives to discuss about the role communities can play in promoting behavioural change and the challenges they face. Such meeting will be crucial also for European and Brussels-based NGOs to listen to community representatives from the grassroots level within EU member states, with the aim to elaborate common strategies and innovative solutions to achieve the common goal of putting an end to the practice of FGM in Europe and beyond.”

Venue : Lotus Room, Mundo B, Rue d’Edimbourg 26, 1050 Brussels 

Programme

14h30 – 14h45: Presentation of CHANGE Plus project
14h45 – 15h00: Projection video “Amina”, an awareness-raising video developed, written and played by community representatives in Hamburg about the situation of FGM-survivors in Germany
15h00 – 15h30: Community representatives share their experiences in promoting behavioural change towards the abandonment of FGM
15h30 – 16h00: Q&A session

Confirm your participation by 25th September to ccosentino@endfgm.eu