“Holidays are done to have fun, not to be mutilated” : The slogan slams the shelters this summer. A national campaign puts parents at the center of the fight against excision, to protect thousands of young girls.
An urgent message in the face of persistent violence
Each summer, the same risk hovers for thousands of young girls: that of returning mutilated with a stay, however expected with joy. In many families living in France, the long holidays coincide with returns to the country, where certain traditions persist in inflicting female sexual mutilation. Faced with this silent threat, the association Excision, let’s talk about it! Relaunching the fight with a national shock campaign, supported by the ministry responsible for equality between women and men.
Visible from June 25, 2025 throughout the metropolitan territory, this campaign is displayed at bus stops, in the streets, on social networks, with a strong, short, short message: “The holidays are done to have fun, not to be mutilated “. The slogan strikes, it challenges. And above all, he puts responsibility where she can make the difference: within families. Because this year, the heart of the target message parents. Those who, more and more numerous, choose to say no to this violence, and protect their daughters.
Parents mobilized as a protective shields
Already in 2021, the association had struck hard with the campaign “impatient to the outward journey, mutilated on the return”, revealing the brutality of this summer reality. In 2025, the objective evolved. It is no longer a question only of alerting, but of involving. The campaign this time puts parents at the heart of the message. Because even if the number of excised girls remains alarming, the progress is real: more and more parents are actively opposed to this violence, protecting their daughters from mutilation.
The campaign is based on a narrative and visual triptych designed to permanently mark the spirits. On the shelters, the posters directly challenge passers -by. Online, a poignant video, based on a fictitious testimony, tells the story of an excised mother in her childhood, now determined, with her companion, to protect their daughter. The tone is serious but carrying hope: the break with this practice is possible. It often starts with a simple pronounced word: no.
A complete digital kit is also made available to professionals, associations and the general public, with educational visuals and content designed for social networks. The account @Alertexcision becomes one of the major relays of the campaign, especially with young generations.
A global issue that is anchored in everyday life
The international context only highlights the urgency: according to the UNICEF 2025 data, every four minutes, a girl is excised in the world. An icing figure which, however, remains too little known. In France, nearly 139,000 women live with the physical and psychological consequences of excision. And every summer, girls are still exposed to this risk.
Created in 2013, the network Excision, let’s talk about it! Bring together committed associations, experts and personalities mobilized to break the silence. Their credo: associate the communities concerned, work hand in hand with players in the field, health professionals, education and child protection.
This new campaign marks a turning point in their strategy: that of a message focused on empowerment and empowerment of families themselves. Because female sexual mutilations are not inevitable. They are not a custom to be preserved. They are violence to eradicate. And this summer, the fight goes through the parents, by their words, their choices, their courage.