The general objective of Euronet-FGM is to improve the health of female immigrants in Europe and to fight harmful traditional practices affecting the health of women and children, in particular FGM. This fight goes through specific objectives:
- to fight FGM in Europe by finding a global solution and establishing a lobby aimed at eradicating the practice on all continents and in all regions
- to promote information exchange, sharing knowledge and experience
- to establish and maintain links among the Inter-African Committee (IAC) , the associations and organisations … (full text Objectives).
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Address: euronet-fgm.org, Rue de l’Ermitage, 52, Bruxelles, Belgique;
Contact.
Who are we: During the last few decades, Europe has received thousands of immigrants and refugees of African origin who practise female genital mutilation (FGM). Consequently, several NGOs, governments and health professionals of various nationalities were inspired to explore means of preventing FGM. At international gatherings, the idea emerged of founding a network to fight FGM practised outside the African continent.
At the Beijing Conference, which, in 1995, closed the UN Decade for Women, a group of women and men met informally to discuss the need for campaigns fighting FGM in the Diaspora, like those already running in Africa. During the 4th Regional Conference of the Inter-African Committee against harmful traditional practices affecting the health of mother and child in Dakar (Senegal) in November 1997, GAMS in France initiated the network. Nikki Denholm, a New Zealand midwife, then wrote a first circular letter to those interested in taking part. Responding to this initial call were Australia, Sweden, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada.
On the occasion of the second conference on FGM in Göteborg (Sweden) in July 1998, discussions started once again and continued during the expert meeting on FGM in Gent (Belgium) in November 1998.
Responding to the recommendations of the Göteborg conference and the expert meeting in Gent, the International Centre for Reproductive Health (Ghent University, Belgium) proposed a project aiming to establish a network on the European level. The network project was worked out in collaboration with the Göteborg Project on FGM.