PRESS Conference Invitation
Female Genital Mutilation: Launch of the MEN SPEAK OUT Awareness Campaign on February 5th

When ? 5 February 2016 at 10 am

Where ? Residence Palace, International Press Center – Maelbeek room, Rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Brussels

GAMS Belgium, FORWARD UK, HIMILO Foundation in Netherlands and the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp will launch the first European Awareness Campaign to engage men in the prevention of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Europe. MEN SPEAK OUT Project is co-funded by the European Commission Daphne Programme. Today, FGM is seen as a “women’s affair”. Men hardly interfere on the issue and their views on the practice are often unclear. However, since FGM concerns all members of the community, men can, and should, play an important role in ending FGM. Men’s involvement in combatting FGM is crucial and can accelerate the abandonment of the practice in Europe, and by extension in the countries of origin.

Program:

9:30 Welcome of participants

10:00 Introduction by Fabienne Richard, Coordinator of MSO, Executive Director of GAMS Belgium Opening speech by Marie Arena, MEP, Member of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
Premiere screening of awareness videos
Testimony by Sulieman Mohamed Hashi, MSO Peers educator, Forward UK
Questions and answers session
Interview opportunities

11:30 End

Interpretation in EN, FR, NL

Interview opportunities in 3 languages with peers educators from Guinea Conakry, Somalia, Ethiopia,…

For further questions and interviews contact:

Mme Fabienne Richard
Coordinatrice Projet MEN SPEAK OUT
fabienne@gams.be
Tel: +32 (0) 2 219 43 40 
GSM : +32 (0) 473 410 691

www.menspeakout.eu

Press conference invitation GAMS 5 Feb 2016