Multicultural

Multicultural Women's Health Education Project on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

The Multicultural Women’s Health Education project was established in 1996, and aims to prevent the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and increase affected women’s access to information and services to improve their sexual and reproductive health. The project mobilises affected communities, health professionals, religious leaders and traditional leaders, through education and information, to involve them in preventing FGM.

Community development and education

There is a strong focus on community development, with a team of Multicultural Health Community Educators (MHCE), male and female, from targeted communities, who are trained to provide education in their own languages. The project uses various communication channels, such as face-to-face and community media, to increase awareness. The project also disseminates information about laws in Australia, health issues and the negative impact of the practice. The project’s target groups are community members from the Horn of Africa, and other countries where the practice is prevalent.

Service provider training

The second component of the project is to work with health and other service providers to develop their awareness of FGM practices and help them respond to their clients’ health needs. Training and community awareness workshops about FGM are regularly held for medical practitioners, nurses, community service providers, teachers, guidance counsellors, carers, university students and health sector staff.

Resources

The project is a source of useful material for medical professionals and communities, such as:

• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in clinical practice – DVD
• Multicultural Women's Health fact sheet
• FGM poster
• Information about the National Conference on Responding to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Promoting Child Safety, 14-15 November 2005
• FGM Conference Proceedings – DVD

The Project Coordinator was interviewed in Arabic on SBS to discuss how FPQ is working to prevent the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). Listen to the interview in Arabic.

Additional material is available from the Multicultural Project Coordinator at FPQ.

Useful internet links

Phone 07 3250 0240 or submit an enquiry.