A two day awareness campaign, raising initiative on law against female genital mutilation is to taking place in Dublin airport this weekend.
An Garda Síochána and the Border Management Unit at Dublin airport will this weekend run ‘Operation Limelight’ to raise awareness around the practice of Female Genital Mutilation in Ireland, including the law and the very serious risks to the long-term health of women and girls, subjected to it.
Operation Limelight originated in the UK and similar initiatives have been implemented in other countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
The two day initiative will run on today Friday October 27th and tomorrow Saturday October 28th. in an effort to reach high passenger numbers travelling for the bank holiday weekend.
Members of An Garda Síochána and the Border Management Unit will provide information to passengers travelling to and from Dublin Airport, which will explain what FGM is, outline the law in Ireland, and inform people what they can do if they are worried that a girl may be at risk of FGM.
FGM (also known as circumcision or cutting) involves removing all or part of a girl’s external genital organs including the area around the vagina and clitoris. FGM is performed for cultural and not medical reasons and is totally illegal in Ireland.
Under the Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012 it is a criminal offence for a person to attempt or perform FGM in Ireland and it is a criminal offence for someone resident in Ireland to take a girl to another country to undergo FGM.
FGM is mostly carried out on girls between birth and 15 years of age and it is a form of child abuse which comes under child protection regulations in the Children First National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011.
It has also been recognised as a form of gender-based violence in the Third National Strategy on Domestic Sexual and Gender Based Violence and the current implementation plan for the Strategy contains actions focused on improving the supports and services available to those who have been subjected to FGM.
FGM violates a series of well-established human rights principles, including the principles of equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex, the right to life when the procedure results in death, and the right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as the rights of the child.
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