Numerous international conventions and programmes of action condemn female genital mutilation (FGM) as a harmful traditional practice and serious violation of human rights. Nevertheless, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, some three million girls and women suffer genital mutilation each year.

Female genital mutilation not only constitutes an infringement of a person’s bodily integrity with severe health consequences, but also violates fundamental human rights and restricts girls' and women's chances for self-development.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) GIZ (former GTZ) has contributed to international efforts to overcome FGM since 1999.

To take an example from real life: in the West African country of Burkina Faso, where more than 70 per cent of women have been subjected to genital mutilation, GIZ and the Ministry of Education are jointly developing teaching materials about female genital mutilation. Through these materials, schoolchildren learn what happens during the FGM procedure and what consequences female genital mutilation can have. By now, more and more young people have come to the conclusion: I will never let my daughter be mutilated!