For the symposium “Female Genital Mutilation—Protecting and Supporting Together” our association, Beratungsstelle stop mutilation Deutschland e.V., hosted an event on February 5 at City Hall in the state capital of Düsseldorf. With over 100 participants, the event was well-attended. This strong response demonstrated once again that the issue of female genital mutilation is highly relevant to many professional groups and that providing help to affected women and protecting girls at risk are viewed as important tasks. The symposium took place as part of the International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation, which is observed annually on February 6.

The symposium opened with a passionate welcome address by Elisabeth Wilfart, Equal Opportunity Officer for the City of Düsseldorf. The Deputy Equal Opportunity Officer, Susanne Kaufmann, participated in a workshop. Through its commitment to combating female genital mutilation, the City of Düsseldorf has taken on a pioneering role. Since 2019, the City of Düsseldorf has been supporting our counseling center. For the third time, our association had the honor of hosting a symposium at the City Hall.

In her welcoming remarks, Tanja Buck, Executive Director of Diakonie Düsseldorf, praised the work of the counseling center and emphasized its importance for child protection. This expertise is also valued and utilized by Diakonie. In Diakonie Düsseldorf, we have a strong partner at our side who strongly supports our work. On behalf of our association, our patron, actor Roland Riebeling, delivered an inspiring welcome address. He thanked the City of Düsseldorf and called for support for our work.

The symposium was aimed at all relevant professional groups who come into contact with affected women, at-risk girls, and families—particularly those in the fields of health, social services, counseling, child-rearing, and education, as well as government agencies and the police. Through expert presentations and practical workshops, cultural, social, medical, and legal aspects of dealing with the issue of female genital mutilation were covered. Regarding the legal classification of female genital mutilation, participants felt well-supported. They were encouraged to be courageous and, if necessary, to contact the counseling center or file a police report. The question “(When) should we contact the counseling center or file a police report?” was addressed. They were encouraged to be courageous and, if necessary, to contact the counseling center or file a police report. The question “(When) should we call the police?” was on the minds of many participants.

Other topics covered at the symposium included:

• Culturally Sensitive Counseling, Raising the Issue, and Working with Those Affected
• A Medical Perspective on Female Genital Mutilation and Practical Knowledge from the gynecological clinic
• How are women faring who have fled to Germany to escape gender-based violence?
• Psychosocial Support and Trauma-Focused Therapeutic Approaches for Female Genital Mutilation
• Art Therapy – Expressing Your Feelings Through Painting

In a lively discussion to wrap up the symposium, Günter Haverkamp and Jawahir Cumar exchanged ideas and asked each other questions. They have been working together for many years on the issue of female genital mutilation. After the symposium, there was a lot of positive feedback. One participant said, “The training session was very informative and well-structured. I hadn’t realized the full scope of the issue before.”