The northern Piedmont region
said Tuesday it will unveil a protocol for taking into care
minors at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM).
FGM is a painful ritual practiced on girls and women with a
razor in 27 African countries, Yemen and Iraqi Kurdistan, Asia,
the Middle East, and among diaspora communities around the
world.
Piedmont has many women residents from Benin, Cameroon,
Egypt, Eritrea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Somalia - and many of
them victims of the practice, regional officials said in a
statement.
"The rise in immigration has made it essential that we take
this problem on in a non-sporadic way, from both the social and
the public health standpoints," the statement said.
"I am keen to reiterate our region's commitment to
preventing and fighting female genital mutilation," regional
council member Antonio Saitta said.
"Many public health operators have been involved, and this
must continue in order to defeat the phenomenon".
Piedmont two years ago signed on to an accord between
regions and central government in the fight to prevent and
ultimately eradicate FGM.
Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin earlier this year said
female genital mutilation is a "barbaric practice" that is
"unacceptable" in Italy.
While it is outlawed or restricted in most of the countries
where it is practiced, the laws are poorly enforced.
The United Nations recognized FGM as a violation of human
rights in 2012.
Over 150 million girls and women worldwide have experienced
some form of FGM, according to the UN.
According to UNICEF, some three million girls die from the
practice per year.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
