6 February: International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation

200 million: this is the number of women and girls that the United Nations estimates have been subjected to the brutal practice of female genital mutilation and that, in the last two years, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, has continued to rise. Female genital mutilations are an aberrant and unhuman practice that seriously violates women’s fundamental rights and jeopardizes their potential development and full success within society, thus hindering the process to achieve gender equality. To mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, Italy forcefully reaffirms its constant and unconditioned commitment to eliminate this harmful practice and any other form of physical and psychological violence and abuse against little girls and young women. Italy has undertaken to combat all forms of violence and abuse against women, young women and little girls, by promoting incisive action within the competent international organizations, starting with the negotiations within the United Nations General Assembly and Human Rights Council, as well as in the field, through the important contribution of the projects promoted by Italy’s Development Cooperation Service which provides annual financial support to the UNFPA/UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation. Fighting violence on women is also among the priorities of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, within which we promote the broadest possible enforcement of the Istanbul Convention. We share our commitment with social society and with all the Institutions involved because we firmly believe that it is only through an inclusive multidisciplinary approach, aimed at pursuing a substantial change based on facts and not only on norms, that it will be possible to enable women to fully enjoy their fundamental rights and make significant progress towards complete gender equality and the real empowerment of women.