05/02/2026 Equality and Non-Discrimination | Women free from violence
On the eve of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Luz Martinez Seijo (Spain, SOC), PACE General Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Co-ordinator of the Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence, calls for the criminalisation of FGM, a violation of the human rights of women and girls, in line with Article 38 of the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention.
“Prevention measures must lie at the heart of efforts to eradicate FGM, involving the communities concerned, grass-roots organisations, social and education services, the police, the justice system and health-care professionals,” Ms Martinez Seijo stressed. She further underlined that “awareness-raising, information and education campaigns must address the gender stereotypes and the religious and cultural beliefs behind the continuous practice of FGM, which perpetuate this act of violence that also constitutes a violation of children’s rights.”
In its 2016 Resolution, PACE underlined that FGM causes serious physical and mental harm, and it is a violation of the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and of women’s and girls’ right to health.
The UN theme for fighting FGM in 2026 is “Towards 2030: No End to FGM without Sustained Commitment and Investment“, which requires political will, strong policies, financial resources, partnerships, data and the participation of survivors.
“Action to eliminate FGM must be accelerated,” Ms Martinez Seijo stated. “The human rights of women and girls cannot wait.”