THE GOVERNMENT was urged yesterday to reintroduce legislation which had been drafted by the last administration which would outlaw the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in this country.
The new law would also make it illegal for parents to bring their children back to their own country to undergo the practice.
The call came from the organisers of a fashion event in Dublin dedicated to raising awareness about the practice.
A number of women who have been subjected to such mutilation took part in the event at the Gresham Hotel, which featured models from Africa, Ireland and other European countries.
FGM is mostly carried out on young girls in western, eastern, and northeastern regions of Africa. It is estimated up to 2,500 migrant women in Ireland have been subjected to genital mutilation, which is condemned as a human rights violation.
It is estimated up to 140 million women and girls have undergone genital mutilation worldwide.
Dublin-based Somali woman Ifrah Ahmed, who is a member of the National Youth of Ireland and a survivor of FGM, said the aim of the event was to give affected girls and women the confidence to discuss the practice and its consequences.
“The idea of the FGM fashion show is to create more awareness of the issue and bring the girls and young women together to encourage future dialogue,” said Ms Ahmed, who is Amnesty International’s representative on the European “End FGM campaign”.
She said some are very shy and upset to talk about their experiences and some believe they are ugly because of it, as this is what some husbands or boyfriends tell them. The fashion show is a good way to raise awareness, she said.