A Comprehensive Understanding and Approach to Combating Female Genital Mutilation-Cutting and Reducing Prosecutorial Impunity

10 Jul 2025, 16:00-10 Jul 2025, 17:30

Moderator: Jeanette Manning, Chief, National Association of Attorneys General, Training and Research & IAP Executive Committee Ordinary Member

Speakers:

Anita Arora, District Crown Prosecutor, London South, Crown Prosecution Service, England & Wales
MamLisa Camara, Co-founder, African Women Rights Advocates
Sema Gornall, CEO, The Vavengers
Sir Max Hill KC, Patron, The Vavengers; Senior Counsel and Policy Advisor, King & Spalding International LLP (Former Director of Public Prosecutions for England & Wales)

Facilitator: Irina Beridze, Executive Programme Manager, International Association of Prosecutors

According to UNICEF data as of March 2024, over 230 million girls and women globally have been subjected to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) involving the partial or total removal of or injury to a female’s external genitalia or organs for non-medical purposes. Despite this grave practice, a severe lack of misinformation and misunderstanding exists, along with near impunity where the practice is often criminalised but not prosecuted for those who illegally carry it out in every part of the globe.

This webinar will discuss what FGM/C is and is not, share information on an upcoming global report highlighting health disparities and legal gaps to advance health care equality worldwide, and demonstrate the imperative need to increase education, investigations, and prosecutions. Advocates in the FGM and violence against women spaces from leading organizations, Vavengers and African Women Rights Advocates, and legal practitioners, as former and current prosecutors, will discuss the paramount need to focus on victim and survivor rights and the critical role prosecutors play to advance effective responses and accountability legislatively, judicially, and educationally.

This 60-minute webinar will be held in English and no interpretation will be provided. However, attendees can access automated translated captions via the Zoom platform during the webinar. All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance. The webinar is open to all IAP organisational and individual members.

Please note that this webinar will be recorded.

For more details, please contact Ms. Irina Beridze, Executive Programme Manager of the IAP, at epm@iap-association.org

We look forward to welcoming you at the webinar!