FGM Trajectory
The European directives (Article 21 of the Recast Reception Directive; Article 4.3 of the Recast Procedure Directive), the Istanbul Convention, and Belgian law on the reception of asylum seekers require states to implement specific actions for vulnerable groups.
This MGF trajectory aims to establish a common approach regarding the identification and support of women/girls seeking asylum residing in a Belgian state reception facility who have undergone or are at risk of FGM. It was developed as part of the “FGM Global Approach” project funded by the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund (AMIF), implemented by GAMS Belgium (health and socio-cultural aspects) and the non-profit organization INTACT (legal aspects) with input from field teams. A national working group has been formed and is overseen by a steering committee from Fedasil.
Tools
GBV-Asylum
This website (available in French and in Dutch) is part of the project ‘GBV & Asylum: an integrated approach,’ coordinated by GAMS Belgium in partnership with INTACT asbl and the European Family Justice Center Alliance (EFJCA), financially supported by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) of the European Union.
« According to the most recent estimates (UNICEF, 2023), 230 million girls and women worldwide are believed to have undergone some form of female genital mutilation. Additionally, every year, 3 million girls and women are at risk of being subjected to the practice. »
Didactic sheets for learning and taking action on gender-based violence in the context of asylum (sexual exploitation, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual violence, discrimination against LGBTIQ+ persons, violence against children)
Practical resources from grassroots associations for individual or group work, including a synthesis of the conference held on December 11, 2019, with recommendations for the asylum sector
A short video aimed at individuals at the Petit Château arrival center in Brussels who are awaiting allocation to an accommodation center.
Publications (in French)
Trajectory for asylum-seeking girls and women who have undergone or are at risk of FGM
> For local reception initiatives (ILA)
Trajectory for asylum-seeking girls and women who have undergone or are at risk of FGM
> For collective reception structures
Charter on the FGM trajectory
Study of case law relating to the assessment of asylum claims based on gender-based violence in light of medical and psychological documents