On the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on 6 February 2024, the European Commission and the High Representative/Vice-President reaffirm the EU’s strong commitment to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation worldwide:

“Female Genital Mutilation is a violation of human rights and a form of violence against girls and women. Let us be clear: these procedures do not happen for medical reasons. The lives of girls are at risk, their human rights are violated and they suffer lasting physical and psychological trauma. There is simply no justification for Female Genital Mutilation.

Communities, governments, organisations and international partners shall unite to protect women and girls’ human rights, dignity and health. The European Union will continue to cooperate with international partners in a zero-tolerance approach towards Female Genital Mutilation to strive for a World where every girl and woman is free from any form of violence.

Last year, the European Union ratified the Istanbul Convention. This is a crucial step underlining  violence against women as a human rights violation. Another important step will be to enshrine the effective criminalisation of Female Genital Mutilation in EU law. We are working on these rules and they will be part of a broader legal framework to combat all forms of violence against women. In our proposal to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence we suggest to specifically criminalises Female Genital Mutilation as a self-standing offence. The proposal is currently under negotiations.  We are also preparing a recommendation on how to prevent harmful practices against women and girls in the first place. In Europe and across the world, women and girls need to be free from Female Genital Mutilation and all other forms of violence.”