February 6, the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), offers a chance for all those committed to ending FGM/C to celebrate progress, forge stronger ties and reinforce our commitment to advocating for the abandonment of the practice. 

To mark the day, we are releasing ”Advocacy in Action: Lessons from NETFA Towards the Elimination of FGM/C”. This paper highlights The Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health’s key messages on the elimination of FGM/C in Australia and is a practical resource for community leaders/advocates working to advocate to community, government, media and other organisations against the practice.   

Drawing from over a decade of work through the National Education Toolkit for FGM/C Awareness (NETFA) project, this paper emphasises the importance of a community-led, intersectional approach to advocacy. It underscores the need to approach FGM/C as a human rights issue, framed within the broader context of gender equality, health, and social justice. 

This paper was cowritten by Swaatha Haji, a graduate of the NETFA Leadership Program and a community leader.