Religion and tradition do not justify female genital mutilation, women’s organisations in Malta are insisting as they join their international counterparts to raise awareness about such form of violence.

Today marks International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.

The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations said female genital mutilation was a threat to girls and women worldwide, something that remained unacknowledged for too long.

The exact number of women and girls living with female genital mutilation in Europe was unknown, although the European Parliament estimated about 500,000 victims in the EU and another 180,000 at risk of being subjected to the practice every year.

The confederation said the Istanbul Convention, adopted in 2011, provided states with a framework for a comprehensive approach to prevent and fight such violence.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.