Government in £1m pledge to match funds for fighting FGM

 

The Government has pledged to match pound-for-pound money raised by charities tackling female genital mutilation and child marriage.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening today called on charities to come forward with proposals to tackle the two issues, and has set aside £1 million to match-fund cash raised by the best projects.

The announcement comes after international campaigners gathered in London for the Girl Summit 2014 to come up with ways to end the barbaric practices within a generation.

Ms Greening said: “Education, ambition and freedom of choice should be available to every single girl — whether they live in London or Lagos.

“FGM and child marriages aren’t just happening in far-off places. Right now, in London and all across the UK, there are girls without the same rights as their friends who are at risk.

“That has to change. That is why I have promised to match-fund the very best new proposals from charities to tackle these terrible practices. The time has come to not only break the silence on these issues, but to take a stand.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for International Development said the match funding is a way of ensuring aid money is spent on projects and charities that the general public support.

Charities will need to present their proposals to the Department for International Development by September.

The announcement comes after reports that Islamic militant group Isis ordered all women and girls in the Iraqi city of Mosul to undergo female genital mutilation, sparking fears that Isis could impose the practice throughout territory it has seized in Iraq and Syria, affecting millions of women.

The United Nations condemned the order, saying it was deeply troubling and of grave concern.

Others have raised doubts over whether the edict is genuine. Media analysts said the decree may be a fake. Some bloggers suggest that the alleged fatwa, which has been circulated on social media, may have been aimed at discrediting Isis.

Julia Lalla-Maharajh, CEO and founder of charity Orchid Project, said: “While female genital cutting is known to already occur in Iraq, Iran and other Middle Eastern and Asian countries, such a large-scale call to cut girls, if true, is extremely worrying.”

For information on charity match funding go to: gov.uk/uk-aid-match

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