REPLACE 2 Project Updates: 29th April 2014

The REPLACE 2 Annual Conference – ‘Prevention or Prosecution? The Behaviour Change Approach to Tackling FGM in the EU’ – took place at Coventry University’s London Campus on 11th April 2014. As well as video addresses from Home Office Minister Norman Baker MP and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development Lynne Featherstone MP, we had keynote presentations from Leyla Hussein, Ifrah Ahmed and Els Leye. We also hosted a number of oral and poster presentations around themes of ‘prevention strategies’, ‘prosecution’, and ‘the consequences of FGM’, as well as an interactive workshop led by FORWARD UK.  So a big thank you to all our presenters and all our guests – we welcomed delegates from a vast array of backgrounds, including academics, practitioners, and NGO’s, and had a fantastic turn out. Overall, the day was a resounding success and we’re exceedingly pleased to have contributed to the ever-growing campaign for ending FGM.

In terms of the REPLACE 2 project, Coventry University are currently working closely with our newer partners (APF, GES, CESIE) to specify their chosen target behaviour. After having analysed their existing focus group data, each of them will continue to conduct focus groups based on a Theoretical Domains Framework, which will help identify barriers and facilitators to developing an intervention based on that behaviour. Following this, they will begin narrative interviews of individual community members from Portugal, Spain and Italy to hear some in-depth stories about their experiences living in their respected countries. Exciting times for our new partners!

We’d also like to say a hearty farewell to our project manager Dr David Beecham who has left the project to experience new things in Australia. Although we’re sad to see him go, we are looking forward to welcoming a new member to the REPLACE Team.