Göppingen (dpa / lsw) - According to its own information, the Ministry of Social Affairs assumes that around 8,000 women and girls in Baden-Württemberg are affected by genital mutilation, and another 3,000 are threatened by it. In order to help them and to do preventive work, there is now a central contact point of the state in Göppingen. State Secretary Ute Leidig (Greens) opened it on Thursday.
"We must not accept that this still exists," said Leidig. "With the counseling center we are taking a decisive step forward in combating the suffering of many women and girls." The state supports the central contact point with 250,000 euros.
The main sponsor of the project, which is initially limited to two years, is the "Sompon Socialservices" association in Göppingen. Together with partners, he advises those affected. The counseling centers "Wild Wasser", "YASEMIN", the "Fraueninformationszentrum FIZ" and the University Hospital Freiburg are also involved.
The contact point started its work in January. According to Vera Sompon, founder of the "Sompon Socialservices" association, around 15 women affected by genital mutilation have received counseling since then. A client came to her last week and said she didn't want a man. "She couldn't get intimate with men because she felt pain and no pleasure," Sompon said. "But who doesn't want to be loved?"
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 200 million girls and women worldwide are victims of genital mutilation. The rite is practiced primarily in African countries, in the Middle East and in Asia. The external genital organs of young girls are partially or completely cut off, usually without anesthetic and with non-sterile objects such as razor blades. If the women survive, they often suffer severe pain and mental stress throughout their lives.
