GREVIO Joint Shadow Report: Switzerland

The present joint shadow report is produced jointly between the End FGM European Network and the Network against FGC Switzerland. It aims to highlight the current situation and propose concrete recommendations on the issue of prevention, protection, prosecution and integrated policies concerning female genital mutilation in Switzerland. Despite this report focuses only on this harmful practice, its aim is not to single it out in isolation, but just to put emphasis on it while still seeing it in the continuum of gender-based violence against women and girls and in a holistic and comprehensive manner.

This report represents a chapter of a wider coordinated effort of End FGM EU to engage all its members who are under GREVIO revision to present an FGM-focused report in order to bring to the experts’ attention the topic, which is too often neglected by State authorities. This project also stems from the Guide on the Istanbul Convention as a tool to end female genital mutilation, which was produced by the Amnesty International End FGM European Campaign (the predecessor of End FGM EU) and the Council of Europe. It puts in practice the Guide’s holistic approach by considering its full application to FGM as a form of violence against women and girls.