The statement released by the EU to mark today’s International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation goes on to read: “The EU has been supporting projects to combat FGM worldwide, engaging with communities, transforming social norms through collective action. Since 2016, the EU has been working with partners on programmes such as the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to finally put an end to this horrific practice”. The text goes on to read: “We remain committed to working with governments, civil society, and international organisations to ensure that the practice of FGM is universally condemned and eradicated. The European Union will persist in collaborating with global partners to adopt a zero-tolerance stance on Female Genital Mutilation, to build a world where every girl and woman can live free from all forms of violence and discrimination”. According to the definition by the World Health Organisation, female genital mutilation comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is estimated that 190,000 girls and young women in 17 European countries are at risk of genital mutilation and that 600,000 women in Europe are living with the consequences of FGM.