On the occasion of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, which is celebrated today, 6 February, the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, reaffirm the EU’s commitment to eradicate this practice in Europe and across the world. “Female genital mutilation is a violation of human rights and a heinous form of violence against women and girls. It is estimated that over 200 million women worldwide, including at least 600,000 in Europe, have undergone female genital mutilation. It is a means to assert domination and social control over women and girls. The practice has severe life-long physical and psychological consequences. There is absolutely no medical or ethical justification for it and it has no place in any society”. The statement goes on to read: “We are committed to fighting and eradicating female genital mutilation, around the world and in the EU. We adopted last year the EU Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, which requires Member States to include female genital mutilation as a specific criminal offence in their penal codes, to establish prevention measures and trainings for health professionals, provide survivors with specific specialist support, and collect data on reported cases of female genital mutilation”.