Female genital mutilation is prohibited in Switzerland. The government wants to support girls and families in protecting themselves against this practice. The «Statement opposing female genital mutilation» is intended to help do this. You can order or download a copy here.
The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) is a violation of human rights with serious consequences for mental and physical health. FGM is prohibited in Switzerland and it is also an offence to have this practice carried out abroad. Female genital mutilation is usually carried out before entering Switzerland and sometimes during a holiday to the country of origin. The people involved are often unaware that the parents of girls affected risk legal consequences in Switzerland.
Stop FGM
The Federal Council wishes to emphasise the legal situation in Switzerland through the «Statement opposing female genital mutilation». The document is intended to support families and girls in resisting social and family pressure from their community in their country of origin and from the diaspora.
Order statement
The «Statement opposing female genital mutilation» is available in English, German, French, Italian, Amharic, Arabic, Somali and Tigrinya.
A printed copy of the statement can be ordered on the website of migesplus:
Download statement
A PDF version of the statement is also available for download in all languages:
Statement opposing female genital mutilation
Schutzbrief gegen Mädchenbeschneidung (German)
Lettre de protection contre l’excision (French)
Lettera di protezione contro le mutilazioni genitali femminili (Italian)
Female genital mutilation is prohibited in Switzerland and it is also an offence to have this practice carried out abroad. This letter of protection is intended to support families and girls in resisting social and family pressure.
In der Schweiz ist weibliche Genitalverstümmelung verboten. Es ist auch strafbar, diesen Eingriff im Ausland durchführen zu lassen. Dieser Schutzbrief soll Familien und Mädchen unterstützen, sich gegen den sozialen und familiären Druck zu stellen.
En Suisse, les mutilations génitales féminines sont interdites, et faire réaliser ce type d’intervention à l’étranger constitue également un délit. Cette lettre de protection doit aider les parents et les filles à résister aux pressions sociales et familiales.
In Svizzera le mutilazioni genitali femminili sono vietate ed è punibile anche chi le fa eseguire all’estero. Questa lettera di protezione intende aiutare le famiglie e le ragazze a resistere alle pressioni sociali e familiari.
ንምክንሻብ ኣዋልድ ዝምልከት ናይ ምክልኻል ደብዳበ (Tigrinya)
ምኽንሻብ ደቂ ኣንስትዮ ክልኩል እዩ። ነዚ ኣብ ወጻኢ ሃገር ከም ዝፍጸም ምግባር እውን ገበን ኮይኑ ሕጋዊ መቕጻዕቲ የስዕብ እዩ። እዚ ናይ ምክልኻል ደብዳበ: ስድራቤታትን ኣዋልድን ንማሕበራውን ስድራቤታውን ጸቕጢ ንኽቃወሙ ክሕግዞም ዝዓለመ እዩ።
Warqada illaalada ka dhanka ah gudniinka dumarka (Somali)
Gudaha Switzerland, gudniinka dumarka waa mamnuuc. Sidoo kale waa xadgudub dambi in lagu sameeyo qaliinkaan wadamada kale. Warqadaan illaalada waxaa loogu tallogalay inay taageerto qoysaska iyo gabdhaha inay ka hor yimaadaan cadaadiska bulshada iyo qoyska.
خطاب الحماية السويسري الرسمي ضد ختان الإناث (Arabic)
ختان الإناث ممنوع في سويسرا. ويعاقب عليه القانون أيضًا إذا تم تنفيذه خارج البلاد. خطاب الحماية هذا لدعم الأسر والبنات في مواجهة الضغط العائلي والاجتماعي الذي يقع عليهن
በስዊዝ ኮንፌዴሬሽን ከሴቶች ግርዛት (Amharic)
በስዊዘርላንድ ውስጥ፣ የሴት ልጅ ግርዛት የተከለከለ ነው። ይህን ተግባር በሌሎች ሀገራት ውስጥም መፈጸም ወንጀል ነው። የዚህ የጥበቃ ደብዳቤ ዓላማ ቤተሰቦችን እና ሴቶችን ከማህበራዊ እና ከቤተሰብ ግፊት እንዲከላከሉ ድጋፍ መስጠት ነው።
It is one of many measures aimed at preventing female genital mutilation supported by the federal government and implemented by the Network Against Female Genital Cutting Switzerland.
- For further information, see: Measures against female genital mutilation
- Individual advice for specialists and those affected: please contact the Network Against Female Genital Cutting Switzerland: beratung@maedchenbeschneidung.ch / +41 41 419 23 55
- In situations of risk, we recommend seeking advice from the national or a regional contact point
Last modification 15.07.2024
Contact
Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
Healthcare and Related Professions Division
Health Equity Section
Schwarzenburgstrasse 157
3003
Bern
Switzerland