Devex: We can end FGM in a generation
Madina Bocoum Daff, female genital mutilation project manager at Plan International Mali

“…[Female genital mutilation (FGM)] is a major violation of a girl’s rights and a brutal manifestation of the violence and discrimination to which girls and women the world over are subjected. It has no justification and must be stopped. … The European Union can and must play an important role in eradicating FGM. Through … its action plans on both gender equality and women’s empowerment, and human rights and democracy, the E.U. has reaffirmed its commitment to this cause. … But such measures alone will not succeed in ending FGM once and for all, because the practice is upheld and perpetuated by long-held belief systems and traditions which are fundamentally discriminatory. Tackling this underlying discrimination against girls must therefore be at the heart of the E.U.’s external action…” (2/5).