In a seminar held in the European Parliament (EP) on 1 June 2005 the problem of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) was explored.
The use of harmful traditional practices like FGM/C has not lessened over the past 30 years. 2 million women are estimated to be subject to such practices each year, a figure which translates into 6000 cases of FGM/C every day. It is primarily practised in a number of developing countries but also in certain immigrant communities in Europe and other western countries.
Against this backdrop the World Bank Group and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), co-chairs of the Donors Working Group on Female Genital Mutilation Cutting, together with No Peace Without Justice, held a seminar in the EP under the patronage of Emma Bonino MEP with the aim of calling for some concrete EU action.
The seminar had several parts, first outlining the problem, then the role and work of the Donors Working Group, then the perspectives on the abandonment of FGM/C, and finally the role of the EU in meeting this challenge. A number of experts held interventions explaining the gravity of the problem and the possibilities for action.
For more information see the attached report.
No Peace Without Justice FGM Campaign 2004-2006
On 7 December 2005, No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) organised, under the patronage of Emma Bonino MEP (IT - ALDE), a presentation of the book "Mutilée" by Khady Koita, President of the European Network against Harmful Traditional Practices.
The NPWJ campaign (with initial funding from the Italian governemnt) is part of a growing international effort for the abandonment of the practice of Female Genital Mutilation.
The objective of the campaign is to ensure the ratification and effective implementation of the Maputo Protocol (attached) which covers a broad range of women’s rights. In particular, Article 5 of the Protocol requires that all forms of female genital mutilation be condemned and prohibited.
The protocol must be ratified by a minimum of 15 member States of the African Union in order for it to enter into force. Only 7 States have ratified the Protocol so far.
