Since 2008, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) has been monitoring minor girls who have been recognized as refugees in Belgium because of a well-founded fear of undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) in their country of origin. The aim of this "FGM follow-up" is to ensure that they do not undergo FGM after being granted refugee status by Belgium.
In practice, this takes the form of a sworn undertaking signed by the child's parent(s), who commits himself/commit themselves to send the CGRS, each year, a medical certificate stating that the girl recognized as a refugee has not undergone genital mutilation since being granted refugee status.
In recent months, our attention has been drawn to the difficulty some teenage girls have in visiting a doctor every year, and the psychological implications of this annual visit for some of them.
After serious thought and internal consultation, and in order to respond to this concern, the Commissioner General has decided to change the frequency of the "FGM follow-up": from now on, parents will no longer receive a letter every year, but every three years, asking them to send the CGRS a medical certificate proving that their daughter(s) has/have not undergone FGM.
In the future this new approach will be evaluated to ensure that it does not have an impact on the objectives of the FGM monitoring, and will be adapted if necessary.
If the parent does not respond to the request of the CGRS, a reminder will be sent. Yet, if there is a total lack of response, the CGRS will be forced to invite the parent in order to clarify the reasons for his or her failure to react.
If there are serious indications of a risk to the child, the CGRS will inform the competent authorities (the Public Prosecutor's Office) of this risk, as authorized by law. The child’s best interest will be the central and determining factor in the decision taken by the CGRS if it finds that FGM has been performed on a child who is a recognized refugee.