Conference on female genital mutilation at the University of Leicester on June 18

A national conference on female genital mutilation, organised by Eva Organization for Women (EOW), will be held at the University of Leicester on Saturday June 18 2011.

The event, which is free but requires registration, aims to highlight the impact on victims and to provoke local and international discussion on the issue.

Speakers from the medical and legal professions, as well as local communities, religious scholars and human rights experts will provide different perspectives on the human impact of female genital mutilation.

A key feature of the conference is testimonies from the victims of female genital mutilation, who tell of the mental and physical anguish caused by the procedure and the lasting damage it inflicts.

Event details:

The national conference will take place at the Peter Williams Lecture Theatre, Fielding Johnson South Wing, at The University of Leicester, LE1 7RH.

It runs from 11 am - 4 pm.

For more information, contact E.O.W. on 44 (0) 7961618589 or 07900536984 or email eowATevaorganizationforwomen.org (replace AT with @).

More information on female genital mutilation (FGM):

Sadiyo Siad, a PhD Candidate at the University of Leicester and the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eva Organization for Women, says:

"FGM creates massive health problems for women experiencing it.

While illegal, FGM is a highly sensitive cultural issue that is rarely discussed in the everyday media and so not enough light is shed on the consequences of the procedure to reduce the practice.

This is one of the reasons why FGM still occurs.

Most parents who allow their daughters to have this procedure sincerely believe that it is in their daughters’ best interests – it is seen as more hygienic and protecting them from false accusations that can lead them to never being able to marry and have a family. We don’t want to blame – we want to inform.

I sincerely believe that when our communities are made aware of the devastating consequences of FGM they will see that it is in their daughters’ best interests not to practice FGM."

Sadiyo says that in February the UK Government set out clear guidelines on tackling and preventing FGM.

Unfortunately, following the publication of the recent guideline revisions the government has abolished the Whitehall post of FGM coordinator, leaving charities worried that raising awareness among professionals at a local level, where the issue is often still not understood, will be compromised.

There are still girls who are cut in the UK , other European countries, Australia and North America, while other girls may be taken abroad in the summer holidays and mutilated.

Following the national conference, whose proceedings will be published on a DVD and in a booklet, EOW will continue its mission to educate about the consequences of FGM by organising workshops and seminars, publishing information sheets, and by bringing the message of the FGM conference to TV and other media outlets.