Advocacy

Female genital cutting (FGC) is a global issue that requires a global response.  

More commonly known as female genital mutilation (FGM), it is a violation of the human rights of women and girls and a form of gender-based violence. FGC directly impacts the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls, with effects across at least 90 countries on every continent. 

At least 68 million girls are at risk of the practice by 2030 unless efforts to prevent FGC are accelerated thirteen-fold over current rates. 

Our advocacy

At Orchid Project, we believe in a holistic and multi-sectoral approach to ending FGC that recognises everyone has a role to play.   We work collaboratively and in partnership – at community, national, regional and global levels – to achieve this. 

Our advocacy is working to end FGC by:

Increasing resources and prioritisation

We consistently advocate for increased commitments to end FGC at all levels. We work with governments, UN agencies, and donors to ensure that adequate funding is committed, and that efforts to end FGC are rights-based, community-led, evidence-driven and non-judgemental. 

Supporting communities to end FGC

Our advocacy works at local and national levels to support communities to hold their own decision-makers accountable to commitments to end FGC. We work with our partners and activists to build advocacy capacity through toolkits and programmes, and support local networks through our technical expertise.

Influencing policy

Our advocacy builds and strengthens global, regional and national policy frameworks on FGC. As technical experts, we share evidence-based  input with  global decision-makers to provide thought leadership, rigorous and timely analysis, and bridge the gap to community-based programming and activism. We collaborate with academics and researchers, as well as research institutions and our grassroots partners to ensure that our advocacy and programming are informed and at the forefront of latest trends and developments.

Strengthening an inclusive movement

Our advocacy prioritises equal partnerships and collaboration. We support and amplify grassroots voices on global, regional and national advocacy stages to strengthen their advocacy and ability to hold decision-makers accountable. We recognise the importance of multi-sectoral and holistic approaches to end FGC that involve everyone. Our advocacy recognises the vital need for an inclusive and diverse movement, and we work to ensure that all perspectives, contexts and experiences are amplified.

Our achievements

• Helped to secure the first ever governmental commitment to ending FGC through the UK’s Department for International Development
• Successfully advocated for the inclusion of indicator 5.3.2 under the SDG Agenda 2030 framework, and for the indicator to apply to all countries
• A founding member of the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C, which convened  the FGC sector for the first time at Women Deliver 2019 conference. This was recognised as one of the top ways that WD2019 delivered for gender equality.
• Developed a global Call to Action to End FGM/C alongside our Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C partners, endorsed by over 80 organisations with the input of over 270 grassroots activists
• Supported 5 grassroots activists to attend international advocacy convenings and to hold decision-makers accountable in 2019
• Co-nurturing a new regional Asia Network to End FGM/C alongside our partner, ARROW 
• Published a policy briefing on the impact of COVID-19 on female genital cutting, and trends resulting from the pandemic.

Together, we can create a world free from FGC.