AkiDwA Migrant Women’s Health Project

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AkiDwA Migrant Women’s Health Project

The AkiDwA Migrant Women’s Health Project Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) began in February 2008. The key focus of the project was to conduct research on the health needs, in relation to FGM, of African/Migrant women in order to improve and inform service delivery and to influence mainstream policy.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) National Social Inclusion Unit has supported the work of AkiDwA around preventing and addressing aspects of FGM through funding the post of the Project Co-ordinator. AkiDwA situates this work on FGM in the focus on Gender Based Violence within the AkiDwA Strategic Plan 2008-2011.
AkiDwA estimates in 2010 that there are over 3,170 women living in Ireland who have undergone FGM and over 11,500 women living here from FGM practicing countries.

Key project actions and summary:

• A FGM Health Forum was recruited and created and acts as an expert advisory group to the Project by means of sharing information and networking.
• A preliminary estimate for the number of women by country of origin and age group who are resident in Ireland and living with FGM was calculated using 2006 census data and published and updated in 2010.
• Collaboration with Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, MSc Women’s Health to write the first ever Irish handbook on FGM entitled “Female Genital Mutilation: Information for Health-Care Professionals Working in Ireland” it was launched in January 2009. Over 1,400 copies of the Handbook have been distributed in Ireland and internationally.
• Over 560 health-care professionals have attended FGM training organised by AkiDwA.
• Over 365 3rd level students have attended lectures on FGM delivered through the project.
• Women who have undergone FGM have been engaged and involved in the project development.
• Training and workshops on FGM and gender based violence have been delivered to ethnic minority community health workers and groups. Work is ongoing to develop a patient information leaflet and to inform hospital polices regarding FGM and to lobby for legislation in Ireland to prohibit FGM. The project has been independently evaluated.

More information on FGM and womens’ health issueshere

Location:

Dublin but work occurrs nationwide in Ireland and at an EU level

Policy/practice area:

Cultural integration

Keywords:

Education, Ethnicity, Gender, Health, Human rights and law, Intercultural outreach, Policy, Refugees and asylum seekers, Training, Women, Female Genital Mutilation

Integration Practitioner:

Civil society organization

Name of Organization:

AkiDwA

Website:

http://www.akidwa.ie/

Contact Information:

9B Lower Abbey Street
Dublin 1
Phone: 00353 1 814 8582
Email: info@akidwa.ie

Other stakeholders involved in this practice:

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, MSC Women’s Health Course (Director Dr Andrea Scharfe Nugent) and MSC students, FGM Health Forum, and Steering Committee for Ireland’s National Plan of Action to Address FGM.

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