Preventing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), particularly female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced and early marriage (FEM), and promoting access to support services for affected women and girls is the objective of the SAFE project launched in five European countries in June 2025. At the heart of the project is a group of volunteers carrying out awareness-raising activities, providing support to victims, and offering professional training.
Supported by the European Commission as part of its Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values program, the project is being implemented by a consortium of European associations: Terre des femmes for actions in Germany, Akidwa in Ireland, Action Aid in Italy, Save a Girl, Save a Generation in Spain, Equipop in France, and the European End FGM Network. The five partners met in Rome for two days to launch the project and plan the actions.
Two types of gender-based and sexual violence that are often invisible
Recognizing the continuum of violence experienced by women and gender minorities because of their sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation, the partners chose to focus on a particularly marginalized group: migrant women and girls—and on two types of violence that are too often overlooked: female genital mutilation and forced and early marriages and unions (FEMUs). In France, 125,000 women could be affected by FGM, and 4% of migrant women and 2% of girls born in France to migrant parents may have been subjected to forced marriage or union. Too often addressed separately from each other and from other forms of gender-based violence, FGM and FFM are often—but not always—interconnected in many communities. The project will mainly operate in two French regions: Ile-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Volunteers at the heart of the action
First step in implementing the SAFE project? Recruiting eight volunteers (two group coordinators and six community experts). Hired for a two-year term, they will play a central role in planning and implementing the planned actions. Together, they will receive training on gender equality issues, combating sexual violence, and the specificities of FGM and FFM, as well as on facilitation techniques and ways to support and guide girls, women, and others affected by this violence.
Strengthening prevention and support for those affected
Once trained, volunteers will then implement actions targeting a variety of audiences: training for professionals in the education, health, and migration sectors; awareness-raising and information activities for people (women, girls, men, and boys) in the communities most exposed to these practices; actions in schools and training centers; and exchanges of practices with teams from the four other countries to improve prevention and care throughout Europe.
