Mr. Egide Dhala:

A few years ago, I did research on knowledge among GPs in Ireland on FGM. The result is that very few GPs knew about FGM. The work on FGM was started a decade ago by AkiDwA, an NGO, but it was interagency work involving the HSE. As a result of the work, FGM is now against the law in Ireland. Since that time, AkiDwA, which has been piloting the work on the elimination of FGM in Ireland, has been working hand in hand with the HSE to address the issue.

We have the law that prevents FGM in Ireland and we try to prosecute offenders. AkiDwA has been working intensively to raise awareness of FGM and has always been funded by the HSE. Also, as a result of the research I did on female genital mutilation, one of the recommendations was to set up a clinic to support victims. Now the Irish Family Planning Association has set up a clinic which is also funded by the HSE. It tries to support victims through not only physical reparation but also psychological reparation. A few years ago the number of victims of FGM in Ireland was about 6,700. That number may have increased to about 8,000-plus. The work is being done on the ground. In one case of FGM that occurred in Ireland a few years ago I was involved in the education of the family that was the perpetrator of the act. I engaged especially with the male figure involved in the process.

To put it briefly, the HSE, which is supported by the WPS committee to address these issues, has been working jointly with civil society organisations to address this phenomenon.