Empowering communities to fight FGM/C in Spain

Transcription

1 Empowering communities to fight FGM/C in Spain The AFTER project experience in preventing FGM/C in Europe through the mobilisation of affected migrant communities

2 This report has been produced in the framework of the AFTER (Against FGM/C through empowerment and rejection) project, co-funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Program (REC) of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Fundación Simetrías and project partners and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission. Activity 2.3, Output 6 Public report on empowerment paths & informative meetings - Spain Project JUST/2014/RDAP/AG/HARM/8001 With the support of 1

3 Contents Introduction 3 1. Empowerment paths: women s and girls clubs Learnings and results Empowerment paths: men s forum Learnings and results Informative meetings Conclusions 20 2

4 Introduction Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a global phenomenon affecting at least 200 million women and girls globally and constitutes a severe violation of their fundamental rights. FGM/C is a problem affecting young migrant girls and young women living in the EU. They are most at risk when they return to their countries of origin to visit the ones they left behind, mostly during holiday periods. AFTER (Against FGM/C Through Empowerment and Rejection) is a two-year project cofunded by the European Union aiming at fighting FGM/C through community-based activities in five different European countries: Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Sweden. The project has been implemented by a consortium of 6 partners: ActionAid Italy, ActionAid Ireland, ActionAid Sweden, International Foundation Simetrias, Respect for Change, and University of Castilla La Mancha. The aim of the AFTER project is to empower women so that they can be able to reject the practice of FGM/C. Communities are also going to be educated about the dangers of FGM/C so that they can also support women and girls in rejecting this practice. The project wants to raise awareness to a wider audience in Europe on the existence of this problem. The core activity of the AFTER project consists in empowerment paths involving women and men originating from practising countries and living in Europe aimed at raising awareness of the consequences of FGM/C on women s lives and to prevent young girls and children from undergoing the practice in the future. At this purpose girls and women s clubs as well as men s forums were set up in three countries (Ireland, Italy and Spain) and discussions about women s rights were promoted in order to reflect on the negative impacts of FGM/C. Participatory methodologies were used in group discussions to allow women, girls and men of any education level to participate and contribute to the debate. In particular REFLECT - ACTION was the main methodology used in the framework of the AFTER empowerment paths. This method has been used successfully by ActionAid for many years to train communities in developing countries. Informative meetings targeting affected communities were also organised to sensitise a wider audience on the negative impacts of FGM/C on women s rights. This report presents the results achieved and the challenges encountered while implementing empowerment paths and informative meetings in Spain, which can inform future actions aiming at preventing FGM/C through the involvement of affected communities living in Europe. Simetrías work on empowerment with 4 groups of African women (the Girls Clubs) who live in Madrid and its outer lying urban areas, adapting the methodology Reflect Action (R-A) to the content of the adult education programmes Spanish Language and Domestic Work whilst introducing the intersecting issue of health. The decision to work on the empowerment at the training centre of Karibu association (Madrid) was very important because they work with Sub-Saharan undocumented immigrants in the Community of Madrid and they have programs such as the food bank, public transport cards, accompaniment in programs of socio-occupational insertion of vulnerable groups, health services, adults training and residence for men and women homeless. The decision to work on empowerment at the Karibu Association s temporary women s shelter in Madrid was key in combining FGM empowerment with the mediatory services and 3

5 companionship of the Social and Labour Insertion Programme for Vulnerable Women and the Adult Education programme. The groups had a working team of two female coordinators: one of which was Spanish with training in anthropology and the other being African, who was responsible for the women s development at Karibu. They in turn had the support of two African facilitators selected from those who contributed as volunteers, chosen as being those most suitable due to their knowledge of the reality of African life and in order to make the migrant women feel more comfortable. Simetrías also carried out 2 Men s Forums. The first was in Recas (Toledo) with 22 male participants, running from February to June over (7 sessions) in cooperation with the Malian Association; the second men s forum took place in Albacete (6 sessions) with 10 participants and ran from November to December, with the Collective immigrant support Association in Albacete The male participants were mostly young and living in the countryside (Recas) or in the city of Albacete, which created diverse dynamics due to their different environments and routines. The empowerment activities and informative meetings were carried out in districts of Madrid, Fuenlabrada, Albacete, Recas. Informative meetings had the objective to sensitise a wider public on FGM, especially men and women orginitating from practising countries. Simetrías involved also public and private institutions in these activities with the objective of sowing the seeds for the need for more stable continuity in these empowerment initiatives in the future. In addition to the financial support of the EU, these activities were made possible also thanks to the joint financing of the project by Government of Castilla-La Mancha through the Women s Institute and the Albacete Provincial Deputation. They were also made possible thanks to the participation in the activities of representatives the Commonwealth of la Sagra(Toledo), Albacete and Guadalajara, the Councils of Fuenlabrada, the Karibu Friends of Africa Association, the Malian Association of Recas, the Albacete Immigrant Support Collective and the Senegalese Association of Spain. 1. Empowerment path: women s and girls clubs The women who took part in the empowerment paths were selected out of those enrolled in the adult education Spanish and domestic work programmes organised by the local partner Kariby Association, based in Madrid. This choice was made in order to ensure their stability in a six-month-long programme incorporating the intersecting issue of sexual and reproductive health. The decision to carry out the experience at Karibu was taken due to three reasons: 1. Due to the experience and the implication of the women s training department in working with new empowerment tools with Sub-Saharan women. 2. Because the seasons were carried out within a stable planning of 6 months training with adults that they had been developing for years. 4

6 3. The association identified this unmet need and was willing to commit to offer a head office, professionals and volunteers that manage the support programs and accompaniment of vulnerable women. Table 1. Women s and girls clubs implemented in Spain Path number Path 1 Path 2 Path 3 Local partner / city Karibu Association Madrid Karibu Association Madrid Karibu Association Madrid Number of sessions Number of women involved Profile of women Young women from Sub- Saharan Africa without residence permit Young women from Sub- Saharan Africa without residence permit Young women from Sub- Saharan Africa without residence permit Path 4 Karibu Association Madrid Young women from Sub- Saharan Africa without residence permit The age of the participants varied between years. Most of them were women alone or with a baby, originating from one of the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa or central Africa that came to Spain in dinghy. During their migratory process, without the required working papers, they were all looking for a job. They come from Andalusia to Madrid, Fuenlabrada, Móstoles, Coslada, Leganes or Torrejón and they go to Karibu s food bank and public transport services. In order to work, they attend Spanish and domestic service lessons, because they trust that through an employment agency they might work. Some others work on agriculture or catering industry and keep on their trip to Europe. The general literacy level in the official languages of their countries is low, especially in English and French (16% illiterate; 80% basic literacy; and 4% with tertiary education). In addition, many only speak their ethnic languages such as Bambara, Wolof and Fula. All of them are enrolled in Spanish literacy courses at different levels in the association. 5

7 Graphic 1. The general literacy Graphic 2. Arrival in Spain Due to there being 19 countries represented, we get an idea of the multiculturalism that exists in the classrooms, as although they come from the same continent, there are many varied cultural, ethnic, socio-economic and religious issues that separate them, in addition to language. This is extremely enriching in order to be able to create empowerment on a small scale but with big repercussions for the future to extend the anti-fgm culture in their communities, especially as part of the diaspora and for future generations. We took the decision of selecting the groups with women from different countries, religions and traditions and that didn t know each other because we wanted to create a climate of confidence. The aim was for them to be able to intimate easily and to talk about their sexuality. This decision had influence on the development of the sessions because different languages or dialects were spoken and it was slow. The facilitators helped with translations and the women themselves contributed to understand the work they had to do together. During the first sessions women didn t really know why they were there, because they only wanted to work and this space was to identify problems or just to speak about their lives. They didn t understand what was this useful for. 6

8 The role of the facilitators and coordinators was crucial because they made good use of the time before and after the sessions for interview, in order to be able to talk about problems that could not be spoken about during the session. As we worked with undocumented women, the legal situations monopolized the first sessions, because they wanted to talk about their visas to get legal status in Spain. It was important to have legal services, social worker, doctors, nurses and volunteers in the association to help finding the solution. Some of the challenges and demands of the women during the sessions have been carried out thanks to the connecting link between the association services and the AFTER team. Karibu social workers offer services of accompaniment, advice in the intervention program for vulnerable groups. Women have gone there when they had problems that had to be resolved in the framework of social, legal, health and accommodation services, as well as food bank and public transport. The hiring of an African woman empowerment coordinator who also worked in the female training department at the organisation means that her authority and status with the women made her the person they approached day-to-day to discuss their problems and needs. It was also important, in terms of maintaining motivation and encouraging empowerment, to select the facilitators from within the group of African women who had participated in the organisation s activities. This made it so that, thanks to their work in small groups, the women were seen as equals and they began to trust and take their advice into account. Yes, I was circumcised, I wasn t forced into an arranged marriage, but my friend was woman taking part in the empowerment paths The different languages and dialects in each group were overcome by prolonging the sessions in order to give enough time for all the women to participate, with the facilitators supporting the women with patience and interpreting the lesser-known languages of the group when necessary. In the first sessions the women tried to concentrate the discussions on their legal problems, with technical questions about how to get a visa or permits. At all times they were listened to but they were referred to Karibu social worker who would help them with handling their documents. The women expressed their fear that they would be put in jail for being undocumented. They complained that they didn t really understand what was said to them or the bureaucracy, as well as the fear they feel at the idea of being stopped by the police. The selection of the facilitators inside the group of African women who participated in the organisation s activities made it so that in the small group the women were seen as equals and they began to trust and to seek advice and dialogue from them. They felt very comfortable in the session sharing situations and feelings with the facilitators, this also made them feel strengthened within themselves and as a group. The level of solidarity towards their own group increased. They felt liberated. They liked the dynamics and especially liked laughing. 7

9 Yes, I ve suffered this ordeal and an arranged marriage, therefore I m here woman taking part in the empowerment paths Through the Reflection-Action participatory tools women expressed their experiences, they were able to clearly and confidently talk about the problem, and at the end of the paths the majority of them were able to share a true feeling of empowerment. It was not a forum to express their condemnation of the practice, but rather it served as a place to discuss the practice and the sexism in which they are immersed, their concerns for the girls who are still in their home countries, the arranged marriages and the feeling of being incomplete. We started the first session trying to ensure their privacy and to make it a recreational and uninhibited activity we asked them to choose a nickname to be identified during all the sessions, as well as a final motto to sing together at the end of each day to support each other. The pseudonyms chosen had to do with positive feelings such as light, hope, love, god is with me and the mottos were like these: Together we can, long live women, for the equality. Each group chose their motto for these sessions. We found it intriguing that in this initial encounter not a single issue related to gender came up, with 100% of the women responding that both the lack of work and the disappointment of not finding work are their biggest difficulties. Yes, and all my sisters and girls from my neighbourhood. I wasn t forced into an arranged marriage, but my two sisters were Woman taking part in the empowerment paths In general, they contributed at all times and an atmosphere of safety and involvement was created which was required by the project, therefore, except from some small, isolated disagreements that occurred in some moments of meeting, the reaction was very good and constructive. When we evaluated the problems that came up in the tree dynamics, we saw that all the women in these sessions revealed that the biggest difficulties that they face are: lack of work, health, obtaining the correct documentation, language, integration, racism and missing family they left behind. With the socio-economic crisis in Spain, their arrival after a hard voyage from their home countries (using multiple modes of transport, but especially boats), the reality that these women face is that they enter directly into the most vulnerable social group in our country: female, migrant and single parent family. The disappointment at not finding such eagerly-sought work is a product of the African myths about migration, we noted that in this sense in the collective mind of African that Europe continues to be the promised land, and this myth is only bolstered by the migrants who return on holiday to their hometowns with just enough money to be able to bring presents for 8

10 all the family and flaunt their fictitious wealth. Once those who have returned tell the truth, or partial truth, about the real situation (in this case Spain) their countrymen do not believe them, saying that they are selfish and only want the money for themselves. This type of image continually disseminates to almost every country on the continent. My problem is circumcision. My little sisters are going to suffer it as well. Help woman taking part in the empowerment paths They also understand that their lack of Spanish skills is a big handicap and because of this they attend the different literacy classes that the association offers, but we should also bear in mind that for many of them Spain is just a step on the way to France (a place that they consider to hold more opportunities and where they would not have issues communicating as they come from French-speaking areas themselves). As the sessions went on, the women began feeling safe and began to talk about more intimate issues, as a result we proposed making the following session about the river of life in order to learn more about their life journeys through drawings and to directly introduce FGM empowerment to see what sort of results are delivered and how to address empowerment. Following analysis of the drawings, the issues that recurred the most in the rivers were the following: child health, arranged marriages, polygamy, war, legalisation and the need to find solutions to their problems. Graphic 4. Main problems identified by participants In this chart we present the most prevalent issues from the rivers that were drawn by the women, representing the personal experiences of 50 women. We were also able to observe, quite notably, the difference in the rivers drawn by Orthodox Catholic women and those drawn by the Muslim women, who retain more Animist elements than the Christians. 9

11 For example, we saw that in two rivers from two of the women from the same country there exists an idealisation of their country and a certain desire to detach themselves from the problems of the rest of women, which we believe is the result of their Catholic beliefs and having a certain air of superiority towards Islam. Delving deeper into the topic of FGM, thanks to the information gained from the Rivers of Life, we can see that roughly half of the group have directly suffered mutilation. We tried to find out how many portrayed circumcision in their drawings and in what way, in order to begin breaking the taboo surrounding the topic, as it is a pillar of empowerment in this project and is what the following session were going to be about. On the issues of migration, when we refer to traumatic migration, we mean to say arrivals in boats or other illegal ways of crossing different countries. Moreover, we see that women overwhelmingly flee from war, and that in education, although we placed great value on the fact that they become educated, there is a big difference between the various attainment levels at school. This is due to lack of schools and the fact that the teacher is not particularly interested in making sure the pupils learn, therefore meaning that although they might have completed their compulsory education without learning much of the syllabus. Another factor that influences female education is that many families believe it is harder to marry off a daughter who studies as they are not going to be content with a normal man, which we deduce that between poverty and cultural factors associated with marriage, the percentage of women with training is very low. In order to move from the general problems to something more personal, we found convenient, within the R-A methodology, to introduce the river tool. Each of the women had to make their own lifeline river since their birth to their arrival to Spain. We also added graphics to the rivers that made reference to the mutilation. We wanted to look into the topic of the initiation rites of ablation, to see how it was reflected on their paintings. We started breaking the taboo about female genital mutilation, which is the pillar of the empowerment in this project and the aim of the next sessions. 10

12 Image 1. The R-A tool River of life We see a representation of a rite of passage for young people of various ages, with the woman from the circle depicted as weeping and as the smallest character. See how in this portrayal of herself she is the one with her whole face drawn and is crying the most (pain). Our attention is also graphically drawn to how the women who practice the circumcision are shown as having very large arms, with very thin lines and large hands that may symbolically refer to the power that these women have, in contract to the girl who have no arms. A priori we thought that a silence may be created around this topic, but it was surprising to see how this secure space made these women from different countries, victims of this practice, talk with no shame and share experiences. During the making of the lifeline rivers the women worked concentrated on their drawings, although they also made some comments about remarkable topics that came to them. When we had the analysis, which we will expose now, our intention was to generate to debate sessions on the topics and emotions that the women themselves had reflected on their drawings. 11

13 Image 2. Problems causes by mutilation expresesed through the R-A tool river of life In this image we see three important moments related to mutilation: the event itself, a sexual relationship, and the birth of a new-born with some type of condition, but not all the problems are with the new-born. We see how the dramatic expression increases with a larger number of tears in this moment -caused by mutilation-. As far as we understand she married an octogenarian to care for him. (Note: we observed that the idea of age in African is complicated and many people do not know the year in which they were born and in some contexts when it is advantageous to appear older, it is common to say you are older than you really are, as it can be a status symbol, and wisdom is a mark of their position, politically and socially within the community, especially for men. Moreover, regarding censuses and registrations, it is common to wait for the child to reach a certain age due to the extreme likelihood of infant mortality. We did not see in the rivers of life reference to the issue of rape although in one of the circles it was mentioned. This issue is so deeply-rooted in these African countries (but not only African ones) that as strange as it may seem to us, amongst them it is expected, and we could even dare to say that, in some sense, it is normalised. Many women have suffered this horror, in their own towns and/or during their migratory journeys, often falling pregnant to unknown men who assaulted them along the way. One of the serious concerns of the women of the circles is finding out how they can help or intervene in their home countries and if it is likely that their family members can be helped. Those who have already suffered the practice deal with their pain but do not want their sisters to have to suffer the same fate (we are reminded that the women in our circles are young), and as mothers they are very clear that they never want it to happen to their daughters. At the core of the river of life drawings, in which many of the women express their experiences, they were able to talk about the problem clearly and confidently, and at the end of the paths most them were able to share a true feeling of empowerment. 12

14 This is not a forum to express their condemnation of the practice, but rather it served as a place to discuss the practice and the sexism in which they are immersed, their concerns for the girls who are still in their home countries, the arranged marriages, and the feeling of being incomplete. Image 3. Desperate cry for help: the R-A: the R-A tool river of life We came across this type of message in two of the rivers explicitly expressing (although mentioned in general), a clear message asking for help who had already suffered circumcision but who have left little sisters behind. 1.1 Learnings and results The empowerment paths was useful for building women s self-esteem. They come from a long and tough migration process, most of them with kids, without papers, exposed to abuse, trafficking, and prostitution and, for the first time, they were able to recognize the strength in themselves to keep on fighting, to lean on their groups. They have shared sessions with the group and they want to keep on seeing and helping each other. At the end of the paths they all agreed that they do not want any woman, whether from their family or not, to undergo FGM. One of the main results of the experience was the possibility to discuss about the practice and its consequences. It was important to stop considering it a taboo that should not be discussed. The main persisting barrier identified is the difficulty for women to convince their community that it should be stopped. They agreed that to help women who have undergone circumcision they must stand in solidarity with them and handle their intimate issues from woman to woman and ask them to fight against the practice. They expressed their desire to be able to have a satisfactory sexual life and not be merely an object for reproduction or for the pleasure of a man. A large part of the success of the project is due to the decision of implementing the empowerment paths within the framework of a wider social intervention programme in Karibu, an association specialised in working in the African community. 13

15 The selection of the female African coordinators and facilitators ensured the success of the empowerment process in a short space of time, as the gained the trust of the women who participated in the four groups as they were seen as equal, more in tune with their feelings, which made them include them and motivated them more rapidly in less time. STORY OF CHANGE One of the biggest concerns of the women of the circles is finding out how they can help or intervene in their home countries and if it is likely that their family members can be helped. Those who have already suffered the practice deal with their pain but do not want their sisters to have to suffer the same fate (we are reminded that the women in our circles are young), and as mothers they are very clear that they never want it to happen to their daughters. In a focus group one Nigerian Edo woman got up to explain that she was mutilated and has two daughters, the older one already having been mutilated in the village by her grandmother and now her other daughter is preparing to go to the village. After having attended the session she does not want her daughter to be mutilated but she doesn't know how to confront the grandmother and she could carry out the ritual herself in secret. 2. Empowerment path: men s forum Table 2. Men s forum implemented in Spain Path number Local partner / city Number of sessions Number of men involved Profile of women 1 Malians Association Recas 6 session 22 men Boys and men working in the agricultural sector mainly from Mali. 2 Collective immigrant support Association in Albacete 6 session 10 men Boys without residence permit from Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast. 17 young Africans resident in different areas between Toledo and Madrid participated in the Recas forum, who were primarily employed in Agriculture. This migration for 20 years was largely masculine, took place in rural areas providing cheap labour, with long work days which created a peaceful and isolated existence away from residents. Most of them are men from Mali; over years they have been reunifying with wives and children, and we see young people from the first generation and children educated to primary and secondary level. 14

16 There are 10 young men in the Men s Forum in Albacete from Senegal and Mali and they are residing with the social organisations ACCEM and Médicos Mundi, and their stay in the city in temporary. They come from traumatic migration project and they are only interested in finding work. From the Collective Support Association to the one that the facilitator Cheikhu Cisse is part of the involved other resident young people in the forum in the city. The decision to work with young immigrants in transit is out of their interest in operating the forum as they try to take advantage of any training activity that facilitates their legalisation as most of them are asylum seekers. The language of the Recas forum was Spanish, French and Bambara, which made the development of each session slow; in the Albacete forums they spoke French and Bambara. The young people who took part in Recas were between 16 and 30 years old and between 15 and 20 years old in Albacete. The participants took part in the sessions motivated by an atmosphere of determination to become proponents of change in their communities, trying to prevent their daughters or girlfriends from going through the prenuptial rituals in the future as they realised, through the information and reflections made in the group, that mutilation damages women and it should be fought against there and here in Spain. Working in circle around a blackboard used as a table, we draw the body of a man and we talk about their private problems and their needs. Once this session is over, we draw the body of a woman to talk about how they are, how they feel and which is the problem of the mutilation. Men talk normally about sexual issues, and they even record their sessions and send them through WhatsApp to pass the information to the members of the forum that couldn t attend the session. From the first session the forums have functioned as a group dynamic, inclusive of African men who could meet in a space and show their interest in talking freely about FGM, especially when they had access to the information on health problems that they were unaware of that affect women and, because for them, in their community the topic of mutilation is taboo, it is not even discussed. The main topics of the men in Recas are about the lack of integration, the lack of dialogue with other young men from the villages where they live. Job is not a problem although most of them work on agriculture or the agri-food industry. This new employment stability is implementing the family reunification because most of the immigrants in this community were men. The participants recognised the need and importance of knowing what is the damage that FGM causes to girls and women. From this forum they were educated about the direct and indirect consequences so they could then inform their families about in order to be able to rely on their support and commitment. 15

17 If they felt that there was the risk that a family member or community was going to be subject to FGM, the participants believed that they could talk with a respected/influential member of their family or community to ask for their support or to stop the practice. If they were to encounter difficulties, they could turn to the social workers in their town or neighbourhood. Amongst the achievements of the young African men in Recas we highlight their interest in dedicating Sunday afternoons from February to June to meeting to talk with the facilitator and empowerment coordinator, due to the fact that during the week they work every morning and afternoon. At the core of the forum, the men and women have created an association, and continue to hold meetings on weekends to analyse the changes that should be brought into the community to favour dialogue between them and the local population. There is not a fluent relation with the council, with the social services professionals, with the teachers or doctors and neither with the cultural associations. They are worried about the separation when doing the activities together, cultural or leisure activities. 2.1 Learnings and results The paths brought to positive results in terms of recognition of FGM as a violation of women s right to fully live their sexual life, to feel pleasure and not to suffer; as well as the right of girls to freely decide about their sexuality. According to the men involved in the empowerment paths future prevention activities should be aimed at identifying young leaders from the second generation as they are more motivated and are aware of the need to break down the isolation of the local African community, trying to involve religious leaders (evangelical pastors, imams) in the sessions. An effort should be made to extend the time dedicated to each session on FGM in order to better adapt to the characteristics of the different groups with which they work, in the sense that it is important to take their time (more sessions) to build trust amongst the members of the group, before starting to talk about sexuality and FGM; especially with the men. The participants thought that in order to fight the practice of FGM/C it is necessary to make people aware of the damage it caused to girls and women. They recognise that the forum dialogue sessions allow them to understand that to change the mentality of people about this wrongdoing, convincing arguments must be used, and you cannot attempt to lecture people on whether certain African cultural practices are good or bad. 16

18 3. Informative meetings The main target groups involved in the informative meetings were settled young women married and with kids, settled African men with families and undocumented young immigrants in provisional situation or in transit seeking a job. The women in the shelters who participated come from various country and have not been in Spain long; their level of literacy in Spanish is very low. We rely on volunteers who help us translate the information from the meetings in English and French. The women who are residents mostly come from Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Nigeria. The men in the African community meetings come from Mali, Senegal and Nigeria, and speak French, English and some speak Bambara. One of the goals of these meetings was to train young African men and women as leaders who can, in the future, be the people who set up the so called places the voice of African girls" in their city or town as informal spaces in charge of carrying out activities of awareness in their own African communities and for citizens in general. In the local meetings we planned to work in groups and each person discussed the topic and afterwards the spokespeople of each group would list the ways in which they would help fight FGM. The conclusions that most of them reached, both men and women, was that this should not happen to their daughters, to trust in the governments that they were sticking to the ban on FGM and to educate men (according to what they say much is changing surrounding the issue because for them, those who marry out of love and are not forced into marriage, believe it is difficult to satisfy a mutilated woman sexually and they become frustrated). We identified that most of them only recognise grade 1 of FGM, clitoridectomy (the partial or total removal of the clitoris), which markedly caught our attention. We therefore decided to draw a picture to explain visually the 4 types of incisions. Following the meetings, we compiled the conclusions of the informative meeting, which can be summarised as follows: - Information is missing on the practice and its consequences; education and sensitisation on this issue is therefore needed and should be promoted. - Education and gender issues should also be promoted and women should not be conceived as objects belonging to men. - Men need to be sensitised so that they can help eradicate FGM. - The conclusion that they came up with amongst them was very interesting that the feelings of love and sex are in the brain. - Women have the same right as men to have satisfying sexual relationships. 17

19 Representatives of delegations from Uganda and Senegal took part in some of the informative meetings. The AFTER project envisaged in fact testimony tours in Europe by women and men - - activists, religious leaders and experts - involved in ActionAid Italy s programmes against FGM implemented in some African countries. The objective of the testimony tours was to connect the successful experience of the Ugandan and Senegalese leaders in Spain so that they can tell us about their experience in developing an empowerment methodology through the Girl s Club and Men s Forum; we need to connect these leaders with the African migrant women and men during their tour of Europe in order to contrast results and to learn from their experience of changing beliefs of FGM. The migrant women who took part in the four women s groups were interested and curious to know how this fight is gone about in Africa as they thought it must be very difficult to fight against some people who live in Africa who refuse to reject FGM as they say it is part of the customs and there they believe that it is good for women for many reason (social, economic and even health), and if something is good it should not be changed. Having carried out the visit from Uganda in May, the women admired the lengths that these women are going to in their country. They were impressed that they could have such strength in this fight. It motivated them. They stated their determination to raise their children in a different way, but also mentioned that it is necessary to talk about gender equality, education and helping other women within their closest circles. The Senegalese leaders visit to Albacete with the African community was different as it involved both young men and women, with the majority from Mali and Senegal. The coordinator for the Men s Forum and facilitator Cheikhu Cisse tried to encourage the young people to participate in the Men s Forum that was starting on the 13 th of November. The biggest impact of the Testimony Tour by the Senegalese leaders was in the meetings organised at an institutional level as valid speakers to transfer the interest that the government invests in cooperating economically with Senegal to anti-fgm campaigns, transferring it to representatives of the Equality Commission of the Cortes de Castilla La Mancha and Senators from the Senate of Spain; the leaders visit sparked the interest of professionals in their training in FGM in the framework of the campaign champions of change C4C. Table 3. Local informative meeting Local partner / city Malians Association Recas(Toledo) Date Number involved Local informative Meeting & TT Uganda Date 07/05/ participants Profile Women and men from Mali from Recas(Toledo) 2.Local Informative Meeting 22 women Young 18

20 Karibu Madrid Date 10/07/2017 women from Sub- Saharan Africa Collective immigrant support Association in Albacete 3.Local informative meeting Date 05/0/10/17 16 women Young women from Sub-Saharan Africa Collective immigrant support Association in Albacete 4.Local informative meeting Date 5/10 with 22 men Young men from Sub-Saharan Africa Collective immigrant support Association in Albacete 5. Local Informative meeting & TT Senegal. Date 10/10/17 32 participants. Young women and men s from Senegal, Mali, Cameron, other AISE Madrid Karibu Madrid Karibu Madrid 6. Local informative meeting & TT Senegal. Date 12/10/17 7. Local Informative meeting. Date 21/12 /17 8.Local Informative Meeting. Date 15/01/18 6 participants. Young women and men s from Senegal from Madrid. 9 women Young women from Sub-Saharan Africa 13 women Young women from Sub-Saharan Africa Club Edo de Nigeria and Council city Fuenlabrada 9.Local Informative Meeting. Date 21/01/18 8 men and women Young women and men s from Nigeria Collective immigrant support Association in Albacete 10. Local informative Meeting. Date 06/02/18 16 participants Young men from Sub- Saharan Africa(Mali, Senegal, Cameron, Guinea others) Collective immigrant support Association in Albacete 11. Local informative Meeting. Date 7/02/18 8 participants Young men from Sub- Saharan Africa(Mali, Senegal, Cameron, Guinea others) 19

21 4. Conclusions The involvement of affected communities in prevention actions is key to prevent FGM. The success of the AFTER project activities was mainly due to the time dedicated in identifying women and men leaders from Africa willing to facilitate the empowerment paths and motivated to fight the FGM by discussing an issue considered a taboo. It is necessary that local administrations in Europe give priority to integration programmes that include a focus on women s rights. Facilitators and cultural mediators originating form affected communities can play a key role to ensure the effectiveness of prevention programmes. At the same time the EU should support cooperation programmes aimed at fighting FGM in practising countries, included in the most remote rural areas, for ensuring synergies between programmes. 20