Prevention of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Community Protection Strategies Training Course

Course Introduction

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains a significant human rights concern affecting millions of girls and women globally. Efforts to prevent FGM require coordinated strategies that address cultural, social, legal, and health dimensions influencing the practice. This training course equips participants with practical knowledge and tools to design, implement, and evaluate prevention interventions that promote community protection, gender equality, and human dignity. Participants will gain insights into strategies that support behavior change, strengthen advocacy efforts, and enhance protection systems that prevent harmful practices.

FGM prevention requires a comprehensive understanding of the cultural norms, social dynamics, and economic factors that influence its persistence in certain communities. Participants will explore how social norms, gender inequality, and lack of access to education contribute to continuation of the practice. The course emphasizes community-centered approaches that strengthen awareness, promote dialogue, and support transformation of harmful practices through inclusive and participatory engagement strategies.

The program introduces human rights-based approaches that strengthen protection mechanisms for girls and women at risk of FGM. Participants will learn how legal frameworks, safeguarding systems, and protection policies contribute to prevention and response strategies. Emphasis is placed on aligning FGM prevention interventions with international conventions, national legal frameworks, and child protection policies that support elimination of harmful practices.

Participants will also examine the role of health, education, and social protection systems in preventing FGM and supporting survivors. The course highlights how integrated service delivery models improve access to medical care, psychosocial support, and referral services. Participants will gain practical knowledge on designing survivor-centered programs that address trauma, strengthen resilience, and promote recovery for affected individuals and communities.

The training highlights the importance of engaging community leaders, religious leaders, youth groups, women’s organizations, and civil society actors in promoting behavior change and social transformation. Participants will learn how advocacy campaigns, social mobilization strategies, and community dialogue approaches support sustainable prevention outcomes. The course introduces communication strategies that promote awareness, strengthen community ownership, and encourage abandonment of harmful practices.

By the end of the training, participants will have the capacity to design and implement community protection strategies that prevent FGM, strengthen safeguarding systems, and promote gender equality. The course provides actionable tools that enhance collaboration among stakeholders, improve policy implementation effectiveness, and support sustainable elimination of FGM through evidence-based and community-driven approaches.

Duration

10 days

Who Should Attend

• Gender Specialists and Gender Equality Advisors
• Safeguarding and Protection Officers
• Social Development and Community Engagement Professionals
• Public Health Officers and Health Program Managers
• Humanitarian and Development Program Managers
• Child Protection and Social Welfare Officers
• NGO and Civil Society Program Staff
• Policy Analysts and Advocacy Specialists
• Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists
• Public Sector Administrators and Social Policy Officers
• Researchers working in gender and social development
• Legal and Human Rights Professionals

Course Objectives

• Develop advanced competencies in designing FGM prevention programs that address cultural, social, and institutional factors influencing continuation of harmful practices within communities.
• Strengthen participants’ ability to apply human rights-based approaches that promote dignity, equality, and protection of girls and women at risk of FGM across diverse contexts.
• Equip professionals with practical skills in designing community protection strategies that improve safeguarding mechanisms and strengthen resilience of vulnerable populations.
• Enhance knowledge in applying legal and policy frameworks that support elimination of FGM and strengthen institutional accountability in protection programming processes.
• Build competency in developing advocacy strategies that promote awareness, strengthen community engagement, and encourage behavior change supporting abandonment of harmful practices.
• Improve participants’ ability to integrate FGM prevention strategies into health, education, and social protection programs that enhance access to support services for affected individuals.
• Strengthen skills in designing survivor-centered interventions that promote recovery, psychosocial wellbeing, and reintegration of individuals affected by harmful practices.
• Equip participants with knowledge in applying monitoring and evaluation frameworks that assess effectiveness of FGM prevention initiatives and improve program performance outcomes.
• Enhance competency in engaging community leaders and stakeholders that influence social norms affecting continuation of harmful practices.
• Improve participants’ ability to integrate gender equality principles into FGM prevention programming that promotes social inclusion and equitable participation outcomes.
• Strengthen skills in identifying risks affecting vulnerable populations and implementing mitigation strategies that improve safeguarding and protection outcomes effectively.
• Develop leadership capabilities that promote collaboration, strengthen institutional capacity, and support sustainable elimination of FGM through coordinated community protection approaches.

Comprehensive Course Outline

Module 1: Understanding Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

• Definitions, types, and global prevalence of FGM practices
• Social and cultural factors influencing continuation of FGM practices
• Gender inequality dimensions affecting harmful traditional practices
• Health consequences affecting girls and women affected by FGM

Module 2: Human Rights and Legal Frameworks

• International conventions addressing elimination of harmful practices
• National laws and policy frameworks addressing FGM prevention
• Human rights-based approaches supporting protection programming strategies
• Legal accountability mechanisms addressing harmful cultural practices

Module 3: Gender Equality and Social Norms Transformation

• Understanding gender inequality factors influencing FGM continuation
• Addressing social norms affecting behavior change in communities
• Promoting gender equality approaches supporting prevention outcomes
• Engaging community actors that influence social transformation processes

Module 4: Community Engagement Strategies

• Participatory approaches supporting community awareness initiatives
• Designing dialogue forums supporting behavior change communication processes
• Strengthening community ownership supporting sustainable prevention outcomes
• Engaging traditional leaders supporting abandonment of harmful practices

Module 5: Safeguarding and Child Protection Systems

• Strengthening child protection frameworks supporting vulnerable populations
• Integrating safeguarding systems supporting prevention of harmful practices
• Managing referral pathways supporting protection of at-risk individuals
• Enhancing institutional accountability supporting protection outcomes

Module 6: Public Health and Medical Perspectives

• Health consequences associated with FGM affecting women and girls
• Integrating prevention approaches into health service delivery frameworks
• Strengthening collaboration between health professionals and community actors
• Supporting survivors through integrated health and social services

Module 7: Survivor-Centered Approaches

• Designing psychosocial support interventions supporting survivor recovery
• Strengthening referral systems supporting access to support services
• Promoting dignity and empowerment approaches supporting affected individuals
• Integrating trauma-informed approaches supporting recovery outcomes

Module 8: Advocacy and Awareness Campaigns

• Designing advocacy campaigns promoting abandonment of harmful practices
• Developing communication strategies supporting community awareness initiatives
• Strengthening partnerships supporting advocacy and policy influence outcomes
• Promoting inclusive messaging supporting gender equality principles

Module 9: Monitoring and Evaluation of FGM Programs

• Designing indicators that measure prevention program effectiveness outcomes
• Monitoring progress through structured evaluation frameworks effectively
• Strengthening accountability through performance monitoring tools
• Improving program impact through evidence-based evaluation approaches

Module 10: Risk Assessment and Protection Planning

• Identifying risks affecting vulnerable girls and women effectively
• Designing protection plans supporting prevention of harmful practices
• Strengthening early warning systems supporting safeguarding interventions
• Improving response coordination supporting protection outcomes

Module 11: Social Behavior Change Communication

• Applying behavior change communication strategies supporting prevention outcomes
• Designing culturally appropriate messaging promoting social transformation
• Strengthening community dialogue supporting abandonment of harmful practices
• Promoting positive social norms supporting gender equality outcomes

Module 12: Multi-Sectoral Coordination Approaches

• Coordinating stakeholders supporting integrated prevention interventions
• Strengthening partnerships supporting institutional collaboration outcomes
• Integrating FGM prevention into development and humanitarian programs
• Enhancing coordination between government and civil society actors 

Module 13: Education Sector Engagement Strategies

• Integrating FGM awareness into school-based protection frameworks
• Strengthening teacher capacity supporting safeguarding interventions
• Promoting youth participation supporting prevention outcomes effectively
• Enhancing education systems supporting gender equality awareness

Module 14: Cultural Sensitivity and Ethical Programming

• Promoting culturally sensitive approaches supporting community engagement
• Managing ethical considerations affecting prevention program implementation
• Strengthening respect for diversity while addressing harmful practices
• Enhancing trust through ethical community engagement strategies

Module 15: Policy Implementation and Institutional Capacity

• Designing institutional strategies supporting FGM prevention policy outcomes
• Strengthening organizational capacity supporting effective program delivery
• Integrating prevention strategies into governance frameworks effectively
• Enhancing institutional sustainability supporting prevention initiatives

Module 16: Sustainability and Long-Term Prevention Strategies

• Developing sustainable interventions supporting long-term prevention outcomes
• Strengthening community resilience supporting abandonment of harmful practices
• Promoting institutional learning supporting continuous improvement processes
• Enhancing program sustainability through adaptive prevention strategies

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808

Training Venue 

The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group (at a discount of 10% to 50%) at requested location all over the world. The Onsite course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, buffet lunch, airport transfers, Upskill gift package, and guided tour.

Visa application, travel expenses, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com, +254 721 331 808

Terms of Payment

Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 3 working days before commencement of the training so as to enable us to prepare better.