How is the international press covering Female Genital Mutilation? This issue was discussed in the panel “The press overview on FGM”, where the academicians Hazel Barrett (Coventry University) and Carme Ferré-Pavia (Comress-Incom UAB), and the journalists Jessica Mouzo (El País) and Sarah Babiker (El Salto Diario) participated in the International Forum Female Genital Mutilation, organized by the WASSU UAB Foundation in Caixaforum auditorium (Barcelona).

The Forum took place in November 19-21th 2018 and gathered 200 professionals from around the world working on a wide variety of fields such as social services, administration, research centres, gender studies, politics, foundations and NGOs.

Foto: Cristina Diestro

From the academic point of view of the press panel focused on research that identified a racialised approach in FGM-related information published by Western media. Paternalism and disempowerment stand out as the main resulting patterns of the analysis. Similarly, journalists highlighted the challenges they encounter while producing social news pieces due to time limitations and an intense competition for scoops.

WASSU UAB Foundation works on Female Genital Mutilation prevention and awareness-raising since 1987. The foundation has partner in Gambia (WASSU Gambia Kafo, 1999), a country where FGM affect 3 in every 4 children and women.