AkiDwA Annual Report 2012

Strengthening the Voices of Migrant Women
through Policy and Advocacy.
Introduction:
2012 was a historic year for AkiDwA with significant achievements on a few critical areas of
work. After campaigning for over a decade for the implementation of a law that prohibits
Female Genital Mutilation in Ireland, The Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act
2012 was signed into law on 2nd April. This law has been effective since 20th September. It
is now a criminal offence for someone resident in Ireland to perform FGM. The maximum
penalty under all sections of this new law is a fine or imprisonment for up to 14 years or both.
While the principle of extraterritoriality is not included in the Act in order to conform to
Constitutional and International Law requirements, Section 3 provides an innovative offence
for the removal of a girl from the State for the purpose of FGM.
Another key achievement was the acceptance and consideration by the Reception and
Integration Agency (RIA) of AkiDwA recommendations on three areas from the report NO
PLACE TO CALL HOME Safety and Security Issues of Women Seeking Asylum in Ireland.
The organisation also saw progress on the area of domestic violence and migrant women: the
Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service published Guidelines for Immigrants
experiencing Domestic Violence. The CEO of AkiDwA was selected for the second time as
the vice chair of the National Women’s Council of Ireland at their AGM in June. AkiDwA
Staff Handbook and employment contracts were reviewed and updated.
After consultation with members, funders, stake holders, staff and board, the Organisation
launched the new Strategic plan for 2012-2015.
Review of work of AkiDwA in 2012 and targets for 2013 was undertaken in December. The
session was attended by staff, volunteers and board members. The half-day session was
facilitated by Adrienne Boyle of Boyle & Associates. Among many other things the group
looked into successes and challenges, which are identified as follows:
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