Objectives

The overall objective of INTACT is to promote quality research on FGC/FGM/FC and the utilization of research findings to support the combat and ultimately realize the full abandonment of female genital cutting. Specific objectives include:

1. Identify gaps in knowledge and advance a research agenda that would fill those gaps on an ongoing basis.
   
   
2. Foster collaborations and the exchange of technical expertise among FGC/FGM/FC researchers working in various institutions, disciplines and geographic areas; and between them and others working in related fields.
   
   
3. Disseminate pertinent research findings to members of the media, policy makers, program planners and others who can translate them into actions aimed at promoting the abandonment of FGM/C.
   
   
4. Organize formal training, develop and disseminate materials that will translate research findings into actionable intervention designs, monitoring and evaluation tools, and effective indicators to support the process of social change.

INTACT Accomplishments/ Activities

1. INTACT developed a listserv and an electronic mailing list, which comprises representatives of international organizations, academic institutions and research organizations, grass-roots level NGOs and independent activists.
   
   
2. INTACT hosts a website (www.intact-network.net) which disseminates FGC research findings. It has been operational since 2003. Based on an USAID-FGC Interagency Working Group and five collaborating agencies assessment, the need of having an improved website and one definitive site for FGM to disseminate information about FGM was recommended, hence the website has been revamped and re-launched in October 2006 to include sections on FGC/FGM/FC legislations, latest news and announcements, related links and dialogue, and also to make the website interfaces more user-friendly.
   
   
3. INTACT publishes “Bedaya”, an Arabic quarterly newsletter to address Arabic-speaking FGM researchers and activists, as it is not geared for public readership. It includes the latest information, news, research results and best practices in the field of FGC/FGM/FC. It is aimed at expanding the network’s outreach among FGM activists, researchers, and policy-makers, who do not have access to computers nor the internet. We send this to activists and researchers in Egypt, Sudan, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Yemen.
   
   
4. INTACT disseminates a monthly English-speaking E-Newsletter, which is devoted to circulating the most updated and recent information in the field of FGC/FGM/FC. The newsletter targets international and local researchers, activists and donors.
   
   
5. INTACT organized its first research seminar, “Advancing Knowledge of Psycho-Sexual Effects of FGM/C: Assessing the Evidence” in October 2004 in Alexandria Egypt. 24 participants from Egypt, Italy, Nigeria, Norway, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K. and U.S.A., discussed papers that dealt with the situation of FGM in Africa and among African women migrants to Europe and the U.S. Participants brought rich perspectives from anthropology, sociology, clinical and research sexology, surgery, and public health. A seminar report was produced by the Population Council / Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program and about two hundred copies were disseminated locally and internationally.
   
   
6. The Network published the Bellagio conference papers on FGC/FGM/FC in “Culture, Health & Sexuality”, Volume 7, Number 5, September-October 2005. Published papers are:
   
   
   • "Toward the abandonment of female genital cutting: Advancing research, communication and collaboration" by Gida Sedgh, Elizabeth Jackson & Barbara Ibrahim.
     
     
   • "The consequences of female circumcision for health and sexuality: An update on the evidence" by Carla Makhlouf Obermeyer
     
     
   • "Methodological issues in measuring the impact of interventions against female genital cutting" by Ian Askew.
   
   
   
7. INTACT participated in a survey with Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and a number of other organizations that aimed at identifying promising practices in the field of FGC/FGM/FC to be replicated. INTACT contacted and interviewed about 30 organizations in Egypt about the interventions they undertook, their descriptions, geographical reach, and the impact of the interventions on the communities, where they were carried out. This activity was undertaken with funds from USAID.
   
   
8. INTACT collaborated in conducting an assessment with USAID-FGC Interagency Working Group in collaboration with five agencies to know what information exists on FGC and what information gaps are perceived by individuals and groups that work to eradicate the practice in a number of countries. INTACT collected information from 28 individuals/organizations using in-country questionnaires, interviews and surveys distributed to groups, researchers and activists working on FGC in Egypt.

INTACT’s online FGM/FGC/FC Website provides the following:

1. A directory of FGC founding members and activists including their contact information and research interests.
   
   
2. A publications section with research findings, interventions, best practices, advocacy material, presentations, questionnaires, IEC material, training manuals, and links to other FGM/FGC/FC websites are available on the website.
   
   
3. News of relevance such as announcements of funding opportunities for research, fellowships, technical workshops, conferences and other news of relevance.
   
   
4. Links to organizations involved in the abandonment of FGM/FGC/FC activities.
   
   
5. An Arabic section of the website.
   
   
6. An French section of the website.