WHEREAS: International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is an opportunity to honour everyone— including women, girls, boys, men and gender diverse people—who is actively and courageously working towards an end to this harmful practice; and
WHEREAS: 4.1 million girls are still at risk of mutilation each year, including girls in Canada; and
WHEREAS: Female Genital Mutilation is an issue in more than 90 countries on every continent except Antarctica, and there are at least 200 million FGM survivors in the world, including an estimated 100,000 or more survivors in Canada; and
WHEREAS: FGM has no benefits, causes only harm—including death; difficulties with urination, menstruation and sexual intimacy; post-traumatic stress disorder, gender dysphoria and body dysmorphia and increased maternal and child mortality—and is recognized by the United Nations and other global organizations as child abuse and an abuse of a girl’s fundamental human rights; and
WHEREAS: International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate all national and international efforts, especially grassroots efforts, to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, which calls for the elimination of FGM and other harmful practices by 2030; and
WHEREAS: The City of Selkirk supports the human rights of women and girls so they can live free from the violence that is female genital mutilation.
THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED that I, Larry Johannson, Mayor of the City of Selkirk, in the Province of Manitoba do hereby proclaim February 6, 2023 to be “International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation” in Selkirk and commend its thoughtful observance to all citizens.
Larry Johannson
MAYOR
