Female circumcision prevention post abolished by government

March 30, 2011
The Guardian
Rachel Williams

The [British] government has abolished the only Whitehall post devoted to work preventing women and girls from the UK being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM).

Campaigners said the loss of the FGM co-ordinator will undermine efforts to eradicate the practice. Some 24,000 girls among FGM-practising minority ethnic communities in Britain are estimated to be at risk of the procedure, in which part or all of their genitalia is cut off and stitched up without anaesthetic.

The news comes a month after the government launched guidelines to help frontline workers in health, education and social services identify and prevent FGM, and pledged its commitment to ending the practice.

But charities say that without a central government co-ordinator, crucial efforts to raise awareness among professionals on a local level, where the issue is often still not understood, could be seriously hampered. Some girls are "cut" in the UK, while others may be taken abroad in the summer holidays.

"This is a real step backwards," said Diana Nammi, director of the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation. "We feel it speaks about a real lack of commitment from the government and a marginalisation of this hugely important issue The new guidelines were an important step forward but efforts are now needed to ensure that they are actually read and acted on, and the government should also be working to change attitudes towards FGM within communities.

"Without a dedicated person in government to drive efforts forward, it's hard to see how this will happen. The coordinator was a link between all the organisations working in this area and now that's been lost."

She added: "We were hoping to see another post created to tackle honour killings, so we were shocked to see the one for FGM being taken away instead.

"This is only one person's salary. It's not a lot amount of money for the government but it has a huge effect within the community."

The Home Office would not comment on the funding for the role, held by Alan Webster. Responsibility for work on FGM will now be shared between officials in the Home Office, Department of Health, Foreign Office and Department for Education as part of their other duties.

Naana Otoo-Oyortey, the executive director of campaigning group Forward, said: "The government has failed to commit in terms of targets, financial resources and a strong strategic direction on FGM.

"This is made worse by their failure to ensure effective coordination of the only government action on FGM, which is the implementation of the multi-agency guidelines on FGM."

When the guidelines were launched, Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat minister for equalities, said: "I have seen first hand the effect this abhorrent crime can have on women and girls. This government is determined to put an end to it."

She wrote on her blog: "One of the challenges we face in putting an end to this practice is the lack of knowledge about how to recognise the signs and what to do when you do recognise the signs."

A Home Office spokesman said: "The work of the FGM coordinator will not end. Rather, it will continue to be carried forward by individual departments where we believe it will be better integrated.

"Female genital mutilation is a brutal act of child abuse, a clear form of violence against women and we remain absolutely committed to eradicating this practice.

"As part of our cross-government programme to prevent and tackle FGM, we have established a forum to support community engagement work to challenge FGM and published new guidelines to raise awareness of this issue with all professionals."

Government Says 41 Percent of Kurdish Women are Circumcised

December 2, 2010
Rudaw 

Ari Osman

ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan: A survey by the Kurdistan Minstiry of Health shows that 41 percent of women have gone under the practise of female genuital mutilation (FGM). 

The survey was carried out in July this year. The results of the survey were announced during a campaign to raise awareness on violence against women in Kurdistan earlier this week. 

Part of the campaign has focused on FGM. The survey by the government shows that mothers are the main party responsible for forcing their daughters experience the painful ritual and then grandmothers and fathers. 

The survey’s results show that none of the participants in Dohuk, Kurdistan’s smallest of the three provinces, were circumcised while the highest rate of FGM was in Sulaimai.

Erbil, Kurdistan region's capital, came between Sulaimani and Dohuk. According to the survey, most of the women were circumcised while they were under five years old. 

Jamil Ali Rashid, the director general of health affairs at the ministry of health, said “the survey’s results are totally correct and credible because the participants were given clear questions and special teams examined the women who participated in the survey after their consent was secured.” 

A campaign to end FGM practices in Kurdistan was launched in February 2010 by 51 non-governmental organizations.

Despite the criminalization of female genital mutilation another life has been claimed

August 26, 2010Reim Leila / Al-Ahram Weekly 

Eradicating female genital mutilation (FGM) is proving difficult, especially in rural areas and Upper Egypt. On 20 August Mushira Khattab, minister of state for family and population, filed a complaint with Prosecutor-General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud, instigating an investigation into the death of 13-year-old Nermine El-Haddad.

El-Haddad, from the village of Abu Nashaba in Menoufiya, was a pupil at Al-Khatatba preparatory school. She died after severe haemorrhaging following an operation at Menouf Public Hospital last week conducted by Dr Fatheya Mahmoud Eweida. Fearing legal action against them, her parents did not report the incident to the police. Eweida allowed the burial of El-Haddad without a death certificate or an official burial licence, and the incident only came to attention when one of Eweida's colleagues at the hospital phoned the ministry's child rescue hotline (16000).

Following Khattab's complaint, the prosecutor-general ordered the detention of Eweida who will be referred to Menoufiya Criminal Court.

Film director raises awareness about female genital mutilation

September 23, 2009 "Desert Flower," the best-selling book by former super model Waris Dirie, has been adapted for the big screen. German-US director Sherry Hormann hopes it will draw attention to the problem of female genital mutilation. Dirie's rise from a nomadic life in Somalia to the top of the international modeling world is well known around the world. Her autobiography "Desert Flower" has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide since it was published in 1998. Dirie was one of 12 children born to desert nomads in Somalia. She escaped from being sold into marriage for five camels at the age of 13 and ran away to London to work for an uncle. She taught herself to read and write and five years later got a big break as a model when a photographer spotted her at McDonald's. "Not a victim" Opening Thursday in German theaters, director Sherry Hormann's film is a homage to Dirie's tough spirit, which made it possible for her to survive tremendous odds. It traces her death-defying journey through the Somali desert, as she flees from the prospect of marrying a 60-year-old man and makes it to the capital Mogadishu. The film shows Dirie's move to London, where she cleans houses and struggles to survive. Dirie is played by the glamorous Ethiopian-born model Liya Kebede. "What interested me in Waris' story is that she isn't a victim," the Berlin-based director told news agency dpa. "She takes action - till today." Hormann, who is better known for romantic comedies such as "Women Are Simply Wonderful" and "Doubting Thomas," however, makes it clear that the central message of the rags-to-riches film is a serious one - that the practice of female genital mutilation continues to be widespread. Dirie was five years old when she was forced to undergo the painful procedure. A scene in the film shows a crying girl held down while a woman cuts off parts of her genitals with a razor blade. The wound is then sewn up with a coarse thread, with a tiny hole left through which to urinate. Film crew faced hostility on location The World Health Organization estimates that at least 150 million women around the world are affected by genital mutilation - a practice meant to prevent women from experiencing sexual pleasure. "We want the film to at least reduce the unbelievably high number of women and girls threatened by or suffering from genital mutilation," Hormann said. "It's still carried out - even in countries that have officially banned the practice." Hormann said she shot large parts of the film in Djibouti, home to a large Somali population. The director said the film crew faced a lot of hostility from the local population during the shooting and had to be provided with security personnel. "The people hated us; they threw stones at us because we were white people who came and spoke about genital mutilation," Hormann told dpa. "And then when Waris turned up - that further provoked them." A growing problem in Europe Hormann said her main motivation for the film was to draw attention to a problem that no longer just existed in other parts of the world, but increasingly in Europe, too. "Immigrants take this tradition (female genital mutilation) with them to their new homes. That's very unsettling," Hormann said. "That's why we hope that the film helps to raise awareness of the subject." That's what Waris Dirie has been doing for more than a decade. The former supermodel is the UN's special ambassador for the elimination of female genital mutilation and has set up a foundation to raise public awareness about it. "The world knows that these mutilations are wrong and still not much has happened. I don't understand why the world only looks on," Dirie said during a recent appearance at the Venice Film Festival. The award-winning human rights campaigner said she was driven by one single thought: "Somewhere in the world, a girl is being mutilated right now and tomorrow that same fate awaits another girl." sp/dpa/ap Editor: Louisa Schaefer

What does UNHCR do to combat Female Genital Mutilation?

Posted by: lisacollste
September 22, 2009

Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes procedures that intentionally alter or injure female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The procedure has no health benefits for girls and women and the procedures can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later, potential childbirth complications and newborn deaths. The practice is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15 years. WHO estimates that 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of FGM and that about three million girls in Africa are at risk for FGM annually. FGM is internationally recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

Promoting gender equality and working towards the elimination of violence against women and girls, including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), is an integral part of UNHCR’s protection mandate in its work for refugees and other people of concern. UNHCR staff have an obligation to uphold rights and freedoms enshrined in international human rights instruments; therefore a harmful traditional practice which violates the individual rights of refugees will normally require the intervention of UNHCR. UNHCR’s Policy on Harmful Traditional Practices (1997) advises field staff to plan their strategy to address the occurrence of FGM practices carefully, in conjunction with the refugee community, implementing partners and any other relevant UN organizations. UNHCR advanced its policy in 2008 by being one of nine agencies which signed an Inter-Agency statement on eliminating female genital mutilation (FGM). This statement provides UNHCR’s operations with new and targeted guidance to address FGM.

In 2009, UNHCR published a Guidance Note on Refugee Claims relating to Female Genital Mutilation. The note affirms that FGM is a form of gender-based persecution and can constitute a ground for refugee status according to the 1951 Refugee Convention. The guidance is intended for use by those who may be involved in refugee status determination.

UNHCR has also updated the Guidance on the Use of Standardized Specific Needs Codes for the registration of refugee populations, which now includes specific codes on persons at risk of FGM, thus allowing field operations to identify and follow up on individual cases.

Below are some examples of UNHCR’s activities in 2008/09 in to combat FGM:

Ethiopia

In Eastern Ethiopia, UNHCR is in partnership with a community-based NGO, Mother and Child Development Organization (MCDO), to raise awareness on FGM. In 2008-2009, MCDO conducted weekly group discussions, referred to as “coffee ceremonies”, and mobilized youth clubs against FGM in three Somali refugee camps. They identify role models against FGM within the refugee community and provide support to those who choose not to perform FGM on their children. They train health staff on how to respond to FGM and conduct vocational skills training targeted at former FGM practitioners and groups at risk in the camps. MCDO has also established a women’s centre in Aw-bare refugee camp where women talk exclusively about their economic, social and domestic problems. Organized discussions related to FGM are held in the centre to raise awareness. In the Kebribeyah refugee camp, a workshop on FGM was conducted in August 2009 by UNHCR, the International Rescue Committee and MCDO. The workshop targeted 50 participants, amongst whom there were representatives of district authorities, FGM practitioners and spiritual leaders. The workshop included the religious aspects of FGM and used spiritual leaders to highlight that FGM is a traditional practice, not a religious one, in order to demystify some of the conceived perceptions of the practice. During the workshop, FGM practitioners underlined that they did this work due to a lack of any alternate income, and 15 boys declared that they wanted to marry a woman who has not undergone FGM.

Kenya

In Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, which hosts Somali refugees, UNHCR is raising awareness of the serious health risks of FGM through community dialogue. Inter-generational debates are held between older persons and youth to discuss the negative aspects of the culture. Support groups to fight FGM have been created, including religious leaders’ committees which support the abolition of FGM and emphasize the distinction between FGM and religion. Men Against FGM, a group of three hundred individuals, is mobilizing the refugee community, conducting peer education activities, acting as role models, and working in close cooperation with the police and agencies. There are support groups for families who have abandoned FGM, groups of former FGM practitioners, Youth Against FGM and groups for girls who have not undergone FGM. The awareness on FGM among the youth in the camp has greatly improved, through a project using sports to address FGM. This is being implemented in partnership with CARE. It has organized sports tournaments where the participants discuss FGM before and after the matches. Teachers, sports coaches and FGM survivors have been trained and the sports activities are used as a safe environment to discuss and create awareness on FGM. Radio communication has also been used to share information on the consequences of FGM. In Kakuma refugee camp, there are eleven anti-SGBV clubs targeting boys, their parents and teachers in the school, who campaign against FGM and other harmful practices.

Chad

In 2008 solar-powered radios were distributed to community points in the camps to support dissemination of messages on prevention of FGM and other types of SGBV. In 2009 a follow-up sensitization campaign against FGM was organized in the Koukou refugee camp.

Eritrea

A Women’s Association has been established with the aim of combatting SGBV and FGM.

Yemen

In 2008, workshops were conducted on SGBV, with a particular focus on FGM, for the Refugee Women Committee, Youth Club, Block Leaders and Religious leaders in Kharaz refugee camp.

Egypt

UNHCR, in partnership with Cairo Family Planning & Development Association, continues to implement awareness-raising sessions for refugee women on SGBV prevention and response, and the issue of FGM has been included in these sessions. The activity reaches around one hundred refugee women yearly. Moreover, discussions on community mechanisms to address SGBV and FGM regularly feature in UNHCR’s work with community-based refugee organizations.

Djibouti

The Men’s Association in the Ali-Addea refugee camp raises awareness among the refugee community focusing on FGM.

Other projects in partnership with UN agencies, governments and NGOs

In partnership with other UN agencies, governments and NGOs, UNHCR has also been involved in awareness raising among teachers, traditional and religious leaders and FGM practitioners, in Sudan, Liberia, Chad and Djibouti. In 2008, UNHCR joined the Donors Working Group on FGM/Cutting which supports a common approach among key governmental and intergovernmental organizations to promote the abandonment of the practice and make a major difference for girls and women worldwide.

If your field office is doing anything else to combat FGM, please let us know!

Website launched to end female genital mutilation

Posted by Nathan Solomon
September 21, 2009

A website dedicated to tracking the response of the European Union (EU) to female genital mutilation (FGM) has been launched by Amnesty International Ireland.

It will document the response of EU institutions and the Council of Europe to assess developments on preventing FGM and will feature an interactive map of Europe, which will contain information on prevalence rates and legislation on the issue in member states.

The campaign — the site for which is located at www.endfgm.eu — is committed to ensuring the EU delivers a definitive strategy to end FGM in Europe and to protect women and girls who flee their countries for fear of being mutilated.

The European Parliament estimates 500,000 girls and women living in Europe are suffering lifelong consequences of FGM.

- by Niamh Mullen | IMT News

The fight to abolish Female Genital

September 12, 2009

According to statistics, the number of girls that have undergone Female Genital Mutilation has dropped from 621 in 2000 to about 212 in 2008. This is a remarkable feat, even though leaders are on a campaign to have the practice abolished once and for all, amid numerous challanges writes David Mafabi

Asking residents of Kapchorwa and Bukwo districts on the slopes of Mt Elgon to end female genital mutilation [FGM] remains a challenge. While health experts and local leaders in the district are calling for stronger commitment from the communities to end the practice, many traditionalists are not ready to drop it.

The traditionalists argue that FGM is a culture that makes them distinct from other tribes; because through FGM, girls are initiated into womanhood, shapes the morality of women during marriage and above all, is a means of livelihood for some women who are directly involved in undertaking the procedure.

A traditional surgeon, Ms Kokop Cherop says circumcising girls is the only way she has been able to make a living and educate her children.
"I have been at it (circumcising girls) for the last 20 years and from this I have educated my children; it has now become a means of survival. So when someone talks about ending it, I just laugh it off," Ms Cherop, 67, said.

Whereas rights activists have condemned the act as being crude, outdated and an abuse of the dignity of the girl-child, independent reports reveal that the practice apparently takes place at night stealthily as an arrangement between the surgeons and parents of the girls.
According to the district leadership in Kapchorwa, this presents a challenge, especially regarding the change in the attitude of the people who are deeply involved in the culture.

According to Kapchorwa LC5 chairperson Nelson Chelimo, because of this challenge, sensitization of the masses against FGM has not yielded enough results to strengthen the fight against the practice although the district council has already passed an ordinance against FGM.

Said Mr Chelimo, "In line with the UN resolution against FGM adopted last year, we have called upon leaders to take action to end FGM in our district and already because of resistance from some sections of traditionalists, we have passed a law against the practice and are waiting for Parliament to act.” He added: “But we still have a big challenge in dealing with the people who have turned this practice into their livelihood.”

Mr Chelimo's fears are not unfounded. The traditional Sabiny have in the past resisted dropping FGM, which they argue is a practice that gives dignity to the traditional Sabiny woman.
Under the UN resolution 2007, FGM besides violating the rights of women and young girls, constitutes an irreparable mutilation and irreversible abuse.

Among the salient issues cited are mounting medical evidence that FGM poses a serious threat to the health of women and girls, increasing vulnerability to HIV, raising the risk of maternal and infant mortality and harming psychological, sexual and reproductive health.
But even with these fears, Mr Chelimo is optimistic that the practice will be dropped, given the reduction in numbers of girls who are undergoing FGM at the moment.

Mr Chelimo like other leaders in the district believes the decline is due to the intervention of ReproductiveEducative And community Health [REACH] programme spearheaded by an local NGO headed by Ms Beatrice Chelangat.

The NGO operates in the districts of Kapchorwa, Bukwo and Nakapiripirit among the Pokot in Uganda where the tradition is highly practiced. REACH was established in Kapchorwa in 1996 to improve the reproductive health conditions and discard the harmful practice of FGM. According to them, in 12 years, the practice has dropped.

Statistics presented during the 12th annual Sabiny Day in Kapchorwa District Boma grounds indicate that in 2000, 621 girls were circumcised, while in 2004, 595 were mutilated, in 2006 a total of 226 girls were and in 2008 the numbers dropped further to about 212.

According to data for 2008 on Female Genital Mutilation based on a report by REACH, the community health programme against FGM has been addressing all stakeholders and adds that this year the advocacy campaign will be integrated to educate every Sabiny to discard the practice.
"Campaigns against Female Genital Mutilation initiated by REACH indicate that the practice has dropped to about 36 per cent even when the progress has been constrained by rumours, myths and misconceptions about the practice. It is thus recommended that FGM advocacy be stepped up and sub-county leadership pass by-laws denouncing FGM," reads the 2008 data report in part.

Ms Chelangat says even with the resistance from traditionalists, this time strategies have been laid down to involve all local leadership and the parliamentary leadership in the struggle to end FGM in order to restore dignity to the girl-child.

Mr Chelangat believes that a strong religious influence, local leadership support against the practice and increased enrollment of the girl-child at school, is likely to see that practice completely discarded in the next four years.

She revealed that REACH is targeting all communities that practice FGM like the Pokot both in Uganda and Kenya, the Sabiny and other tribes in Kenya while also tracing other Sabiny who have settled in other districts of Uganda.

Ms Chelangat says because Sabiny and Pokot FGM initiation ceremonies are carried out among girls between the age of 14 and 16 years, education and sensitisation of the girl-child in rural remote areas, exposure of the girl-child through training tours and revoking of FGM licenses is the sure way forward for ending the practice.

Escaping the Somalian desert

September 4, 2009 By Keily Oakes BBC News entertainment reporter Desert Flower, which has premiered at the Venice Film Festival, tells the incredible journey of Waris Dirie, the model-turned-campaigner against female genital mutilation. Although Dirie's story is full of drama - fleeing an arranged marriage at the age of 13 and eventually finding herself in London - it is the revelation that she was circumcised as a very young girl that gives the film its emotional centre. While based on her autobiography, the movie has taken a degree of artistic licence, becoming a strange blend of drama and comedy, with star turns from Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall and Juliet Stevenson. But the central message is harrowing. It is difficult to absorb that female circumcision is a practise that continues in great numbers in Africa, and around the rest of the world. Sir Elton 'sent packing' Dirie, who is helping to promote the film, is undoubtedly a strong woman, but also confrontational and untrusting in most things she does. Director and screenwriter Sherry Hormann had the difficult task of persuading her that she would do her story justice. Sir Elton John had already been sent packing with a flea in his ear after buying the rights to her story and sending along a screenwriter, to whom Dirie took an instant dislike. With Hormann sitting next to her in Venice, Dirie does not hold back with her first reaction to seeing the film. "This woman destroyed me," she says. "When I had finished watching the movie I felt disturbed, I felt sad, angry, I felt really sick to my stomach. I had to run away to the desert for two weeks. It was the only way that could bring me back to sanity." But she adds: "The movie was what I expected, to have the message, and if no-one can feel this movie I don't know what will move the hearts of the world". Hormann interjects: "Waris originally said, 'you have to make me a promise, I do not want a solely political, female genital mutilation movie. I want to be entertained, I want young kids to see this movie and to laugh and to cry and to be entertained'. "And I thought that was the most difficult thing she was asking me, to get that balance between drama and comedy. This is why it took so long. Needless deaths The actress cast to play Waris Dirie is Ethiopian-born model Liya Kebede, who is now based in the US. This is her first lead role, having previously appeared on screen in The Good Shepherd and Lord of War. While Dirie is a confrontational character with an unforgiving harsh manner, Kebede is sweet and gently spoken. Speaking about the film's central message, she says: "The thing is, I grew up in Ethiopia and female cutting happens in Ethiopia - so you know a bit, but it wasn't close to me and you cannot understand it unless you have experienced it. "So when I read the book it opened my eyes to what it is for a little girl to go through the process and live with it for the rest of her life." A mother of two, Kebede does her own campaigning on maternal health, and has started a foundation to tackle the many thousands of needless deaths through childbirth around world because of a lack of access to basic medicine. Kebede had encountered Dirie once at a party years before the film went into production, but her first official meeting came as shooting ended. "I felt really awkward because I knew so much about her," she confesses, "but we bonded really well and now we have a great admiration for each other and an incredible connection." Immigrant tradition The scene where the young Waris is circumcised is key to the film - but also extremely difficult to watch. For Hormann, creating the right atmosphere was important. "It was not about doing a documentary, it was about creating a feeling," she says. "I did a lot of research on that, because one of our promises was that this has to be the essential scene in the movie, because this is where it is all heading to." Dirie made a powerful speech to the United Nations as she began her campaign to highlight the brutality of female genital mutilation. But she quickly fell out with the organisation, getting frustrated with its sheer size and lack of pressure on female issues. So it was left to Hormann to give advice on what the average person can do build awareness of the problem. "Look to your neighbourhoods, because immigrants carry the tradition. We don't live in Africa, we live in Europe. I live in Berlin and it happens in Berlin. Try and find out if they are carrying out that tradition. "In New York City 40,000 girls a year are mutilated. I think if you get a feeling it is happening, just talk to them or call the police."

Am I Not Human: Female Circumcision

Dec 27th, 2008 By Marenda Taylor When we think of circumcision what usually comes to mind is the removal of the foreskin of an infants penis in a clean hospital with sanitized tools. When I think of circumcision I shutter and squirm thinking of the 200+ million young girls and women in various parts of Africa and the middle east whose genitals have been (or will be) mutilated in the name of female circumcision also known as FGM (female genital mutilation). What’s the big deal, why do I care, and why should you? According to the World Health Organization: Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes procedures that intentionally alter or injure female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is internationally recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15 years. An estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of FGM. Common Health Consequences of Female Circumcision Include: Death Hemorrhaging Infertility Shock Damage to other organs Infection Urine retention Extreme scar tissue Cysts Painful menstruation cycles Torn bladder/vaginal walls Nerve damage Child birth obstruction Painful sexual intercourse Inability to experience sexual pleasure What is Female Circumcision? Depending on the region and culture female circumcision can include any and/or all of the following: Removing the hood of the clitoris. Removing the clitoris. Removing part or all of the labia minora. Removing part or all of the labia majoria. Sewing the vaginal opening closed leaving an extremely small opening for the passing of urine/menstrual blood. Stretching the clitoris and/or labia Burning the clitoris and surrounding tissue. Scraping the vagina. Inserting acidic substances into the vagina to shrink or narrow the vagina. These circumcisions are not usually done in a clean hospital with sterile tools (but some are). Many of these circumcisions take place in small villages with stones, razors, scissors, knives, and no anesthetic. Most people cannot even fathom any sharp instrument coming close to their genitalia for any reason. In America, women pierce the hood of their clitoris to intensify sexual pleasure. Its unimaginable that there are parts of the world where women are pressured into removing any part of their PRIVATE parts…. Yes, we are talking about young girls and women being tied up, held down, and having their genitals butchered! This practice is not always done by force… but it is often an expectation (tradition) and a rites of passage. Some believe female circumcision garners respect and honor. This is a frightening practice and a dangerous way to gain respect or acknowledgment as a woman. In all honesty…as an outsider looking in, female genital mutilation seems like an extreme way to dishonor and disrespect a woman…by cutting off and discarding parts of the female anatomy… Who benefits from it? How human would I be if I didn’t ask or care? While it is never our place to dictate what people do with their bodies or to tell people how or what they should believe… do we not have a duty to educate people so that they are able to make informed decisions? Shouldn’t we do whatever we can to bring awareness and spark discussion surrounding the issue?

Fight against female genital mutiliation continues

September 1, 2009 By Spero News Community elders in Kenya have condemned the age-old practice of female genital mutilitaion. Approximately 60% of women in Meru area of east Kenya experience the practice that removes the clitoris. The campaign against female genital mutilation in Kenya has received a major push from Meru community elders who condemned the age-old and illegal practice. The Meru Council of Elders, Njuri Ncheke, declared on August 30 they would abandon the practice at a function attended by Gender Ministers Esther Murugi. She deplored the fact that 37 communities in Kenya still practice FGM. Murugi said about 60 per cent of women in Meru in eastern Kenya undergo the rite, while in Central Province the figure stands at about 30 per cent. She said the ‘cut’ was now being carried out secretly, even by trained medical professionals. The declaration by the Njuri Ncheke came a day after 364 girls graduated from an alternative rite of initiation conducted by the Catholic Diocese of Meru. An official in the project, Mary Kawira, told CISA Saturday’s graduation brought to 551 girls who have undergone the alternative rite this year. Initiates undergo secluded training in life skills for a week but are not subjected to any surgical operation. "At the end of the week each girl is issued with a certificate of participation," Kawira said. "So far the fight the fight has been received positively and we are now trying to train members of the community so that in future they can run the project themselves."” Kawira said FGM is widespread in Tharaka, Igembe, Tigania, Meru South and Meru Central. "Mothers send their daughters to their grandmothers for the cut without the knowledge of the father. In other cases, out of peer pressure, daughters especially between the ages of 10 to 18 beg to undergo the cut," Kawira said.

Ethiopia: Parliamentarians Aim to Ignite Action Toward FGM Abandonment

August 31, 2009 Addis Ababba — Parliamentarians from Ethiopia and 7 African Countries last week completed a three day mission to set in motion a coordinated continental effort to shake off the deeply embedded Harmful Traditional Practice of Female Genital Mutilation / Cutting (FGM/C). The mission, hosted by Ethiopian members of the Pan African Parliamen Women's Caucus and in collaboration with the African Union,, was opened by Mufeerihat Kamil, Minister of Women's Affairs, the organizers said in a joint statement. "As Ethiopian members of the Pan African Parliamentarians Women's Caucus are hosting this conference because we feel it is time for us all to rapidly accelerate our achievements against this unacceptable violence against women." Anab Abdulkadir , Deputy Chairperson of PAP Women's Caucus and Member of Ethiopia Federal Parliament was quoted as having said. Data from the Ethiopia 2005 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) indicate that 74 per cent of women aged 15-49 have undergone some form of FGM/C. There are significant regional differences ranging from 27% (Gambela) and 29% (Tigray) to 92% (Afar) and 97% (Somali region). According to the DHS, There has been a 6% decline in prevalence of FGM/C from 80% to 74% between 2000 and 2005. Figures from a 1998 baseline and 2008 follow-up survey conducted by the National Association for Eradicating Traditional Harmful Practices (EGLDAM) estimates that the current prevalence rate is 56%. Given differences in methodology and sampling of the DHS and EGLDAM surveys, it is important to review the new DHS figures to verify actual rates of reduction. Data reveals that while there is significant decline in support for FGM/C, some may still be unable or unwilling to abandon it due to the complex set of beliefs and social constraints that surround the practice, the host partners said. "There are encouraging signs that the practice of FGM/C in Ethiopia is declining. We see this mission of the Pan-African Parliamentarian's Women Caucus as a major opportunity to mobilize efforts in Ethiopia and across Africa towards an intensified and coordinated affront on FGM/C to bring the fulfillment of the rights of girls and women into more immediate reality," the statement cited Fatima Hajiaig, Member of PAP from South Africa. As part of the mission, the 5 Parliamentarians from Ethiopia and 7 parliamentarians from other African countries received accounts of the pioneering work of Ethiopian NGOs - KMG and Rohi Wedu and observed the Community Dialogue process being supported across Ethiopia by the Ministry of Womens Affairs in collaboration with UNICEF, to break the cycle of FGM/C in Ethiopia. Powerful testimonials were shared by community members on their experiences related to FGM/C as well as the impact the intervention strategies have made on their lives. According to the organizers, the concrete outcome of the Mission was a set of 10 specific recommendations for review and adoption by the Pan-African Parliament to ensure a more active role of African Parliamentarian as champions and agents of change for FGM/C Abandonment both nationally and continentally. It was said that the Mission was the second to be undertaken by the Pan African Parliament's Women's Caucus since its establishment in October, 2008. The first was in Rwanda in November, 2008 where the members joined Rwandan women parliamentarians to cerebrate the victory of Rwanda in higher percentage of women in parliament and other key government decision-making structures. Support for the Mission was provided by the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA), the Pan-African Parliament and UNICEF, Ethiopia in collaboration with the People's Representative of the Ethiopian Parliament.

Murugi in war on the female ‘cut’

August 30, 2009 By NATION Team Thirty-seven communities in Kenya are still carrying out female genital mutilation 10 years after the government banned it. Gender minister Esther Murugi on Sunday criticised the custom, adding that it was most prevalent among the Maasai, where it is performed on 93 per cent of the women. Speaking at Kinoru in Meru during a public declaration by the Njuri Ncheke to abandon FMG, Ms Murugi said the ‘cut’ was now being carried out secretly, even by trained medical professionals. Ms Murugi said about 60 per cent of women in the Meru region undergo the rite, while in Central Province the figure stands at least 30 per cent. “It is deplorable that these communities practise FGM despite the results often being tragic, with many women bleeding to death,” she said. At the same time, a project to reward women who quit their work as female circumcisers with cows has begun to bear fruit in West Pokot. The 10 women who received 20 cows have offered seven heifers, which will be given to other circumcisers in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). The women were given the livestock six years ago by the Kapenguria-based Setat Women’s Organisation, which is involved in the fight against FGM in North Rift. Setat executive director Lillian Plapan said the heifers would be given to circumcisers who agree to give up the custom. “We realised that after talking to the circumcisers to stop FGM against young girls during our campaign, they went back to the custom due to idleness and we saw that one way of keeping them busy was to start an income-generating activity of their choice,” Mrs Plapan said. About 2,000 girls drop out of school each year due to FGM and early marriages in West Pokot District. Mrs Dorcas Ng’imor, a gender activist in North Rift, said many parents in the Pokot community still subjected their daughters to circumcision, and then married off soon after. Female circumcision and early marriages have also been blamed for high school dropout among girls in the Kerio Valley region. The Marakwet Girls and Women Project has launched a campaign against FGM. Reported by Charles Wanyoro, Peter Ng’etich, Edward Koech and Barnabas Bii

Mali: Women Finally Demand Law Against Genital Mutilation

August 8, 2009

Yesterday, some 700 activists, mostly women, have marched in favor of the introduction of laws to ban the practice of female genital mutilation (FMG) in Bamako. The demonstrators presented the request directly to parliament. The long overdue initiative, organized by the Coordination of women’s NGO’s in Mali, was repeated in other areas of the country, where more women also staged small gatherings. “The rate of FMG in Mali is very high, reaching some 92%” said Nicola Giovannini of the “No Peace without Justice” NGO to MISNA; the organization has been engaged in a vast campaign against female mutilation alongside Malian NGO’s. Giovannini said that in Mali, there is a strong political consensus for a law to ban the practice, but authorities have so far suggested that Malian society itself is not yet ready to penalize this terrible and very established practice. The participation in anti FMG protests suggests that there is an ever stronger – if long overdue - desire for change.

UNICEF: Female Genital Mutilation

July 22, 2009 NIAMEY, Niger, 14 April 2009 Ten villages in western Niger have decided to put an end to female genital mutilation or cutting (also known as FGM/C), publicly calling all inhabitants in the Tillabery region to give up this practice, which threatens girls lives. We have decided to definitively put an end to female genital mutilation in our villages and to continue sensitizing neighbouring villages so they also give up the practice, declared M. Babobou Pana, leader of one of the villages. UNICEF is extremely pleased with this public declaration to end female genital mutilation in this part of Niger, as it is seen by Nigerien authorities as a severe violation of the rights of women and young girls, said UNICEF Representative in Niger Akhil Iyer. Genital mutilation has a negative impact on their reproductive health and their ability to go to school. This public declaration is an act of courage and an important step forward for the country.

Museveni, traditionalists differ on female circumcision

July 15, 2009 Uganda - While the Ugandan leader, Yoweri Museveni, criticized Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as ‘interference’ with God’s works and then banned the age-old practice in his country, some traditionalists here are set to resist the government’s action. In view of the absence of a law to effect the ban, furious activists described it as mere lip service which would not stop traditionalists from continuing with the practice. Last week, Museveni told a gathering in the Nakapiripiriti district – home to pastoralist ethnic groups: Sabinys, Pokots and Karamojong, found in the landlocked east African country’s remote northeastern region, that a law was in the offing to ban the stigmatizing practice. "Now, you people interfere with God's work. Some say it is culture. Yes, I support culture but you must support culture that is useful and based on scientific information," Museveni said, after some elders told him that the practice was part of their culture. "The way God made it (female body), there is no part of a human body that is useless," Museveni told the predominantly peasant gathering, currently faced with hunger due to failed crops and most of the fields scorched due to prolonged dry spells, a harsh experience attributed to climate change. The ban coincided with the season for administering the practice targeting teenage girls (14 – 18years) and some traditionalists have vowed to carry on as their culture demands despite the support of the government ban by some of their own, mainly the literates. "We are aware of some people preparing to initiate some girls in the brutal initiation mid this month but the community decided that it was not useful, since women were not getting anything out of it, so the district council decided to establish an ordinance banning it," said Nelson Chelimo, chairman of Kapchorwa district. “The campaign to end the practice has been alive in his community for several years and that in the recent past, educated young women in Kapchorwa have shunned it, but their numbers are fewer compared to largely illiterate population caught in the brutal tradition. The district council's ordinance will now be submitted to parliament so that it can become law and subject to enforcement by the national police force. It is widely believed among the many tribes that a woman who married without first being circumcised would be stricken for life with various illnesses, but that those who have transformed from traditional to modern lifestyle have found those beliefs are really false. Last year, the United Nations (UN) passed a resolution that called Female Genital Mutilation a violation of the rights of women, saying it constituted "irreparable, irreversible abuse", adding that the practice increases the risk of HIV transmission, as well as maternal and infant mortality. UN estimates that between 100 million to 140 million women worldwide have undergone the horrifying practice, which has attracted 1 million euro from European Union to empower African women to make inroads toward achieving the Millennium Development Goal number three. The 1 million (about US$ 1.26 million) Netherlands government funded initiative will mainly draw lessons from conflict and post-conflict hotspots in Africa, where women bear the brunt of gender-based violence (GBV), which includes sexual assault, rape and female genital mutilation. These lessons are meant to empower the continent’s women to confront the horrors of GBV and demand justice across Africa, Netherland Ambassador to Uganda Jeroen Verheul said while launching the project recently in Kampala. Pan African women network, Akina Mama wa Africa (AMWA) and the Netherlands government have picked two case studies - Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo - where women’s bodies have served “as temples of war” in past and present conflict. “Our bodies are used as temples of war, active or otherwise. We need to see prevention of gender-based violence prioritised through constitutional reforms and enabling laws. This is the one message that, for the next three years, should ring from Cape to Cairo,” said Ms. Solome Nakaweesi Kimbugwe, AMWA Executive Director. The project will apply the lessons learned from the two countries to other conflict and post conflict areas, including Northern Uganda, where women have suffered acts of violence during the brutal 22-year rebellion at the hands of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army, while some reports have also indicated that the government army also did orchestrate some of these acts. As the way forward, activists should demand legal reforms to earn justice for the victims. By UN benchmarks, Uganda is on course to achieve MDG No.3 for promotion of gender equality and women empowerment, but a lot more ground has to be covered to stop GBV. The Female Genital Mutilation Bill, for instance is currently before Parliament but Ugandan women have been working to push through other more daunting legislation that relates to gender - the Domestic Relations Bill, Domestic Violence Bill and the Sexual Offences Bill - all still stuck at cabinet level. This though is not an isolated Ugandan case but one that cuts across the continent and women activists want these fast tracked, passed and given real implementation according to AMWA Regional Director Christine Butegwa. “Let’s get away from lip-service,” Butegwa charged, stressing “the policies that are in place to address GBV should be implemented by 2011 and this is where governments must act.” She noted that “Uganda in the 1990s was a best practice case in terms of gender progress and policy formulation, but has somewhat stagnated on the legislation front,” adding “because of this, experiences of Congo and especially Sierra Leone are a good rejoinder that should jolt Kampala out of stagnation.” Like Uganda, the Sierra Leone story is disturbing. On the one hand, the country is conflict ridden but its culture also serves up another vice on the GBV menu - female genital mutilation - which happens in some of Uganda’s communities. Confessions of Sierra Leonean teenagers who have fled their homes due to the cut, to seek refuge at the Rainbo Centre in the capital tell of the pain, betrayal and risks that the practice has exposed them to: painful sexual intercourse, urinary tract infections, tetanus infections and a greater risk of being exposed to HIV/AIDS. Kampala - 14/07/2009

400 surgeons stop carrying out female genital mutilation

From July 13, 2009

Rahel Mbalai is one 400 practitioners of female genital mutilation who have downed their implements in Tanzania.

Rahel estimates she carried out female circumcisions on more than 800 women over an eight-year period in the country.

But the 45-year-old, who was taught her livelihood by her mother, stopped the practice that haunts her after being educated on the effects of the procedure.

"I knew I was causing excessive bleeding, pain, psychological pain and long-term illness including HIV infection," she said.

Afnet, the anti-female genital mutilation network in Dodoma, has taken tools off women all over the region. Irish Aid, the government’s overseas development programme, part-funds the organisation.

Female genital mutilation involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons..

However, Rahel’s husband forbade her from mutilating their only daughter.

Now the mother-of-four visits schools, clinics and communities to campaign against the procedure.

It is estimated more than 3,000 African women living in Ireland have been subjected to the procedure.

Experts working with new communities also fear young girls are being brought back to their parents’ country of origin during school holidays to undergo the procedure.

Volunteers go to rural townlands to help women suffering from fistula, a childbirth injury which causes incontinence.

For 32 years Menina Mhanjilwa was incontinent. She had given birth to a stillborn baby which affected her organs.

Menina was divorced by her husband, shunned by her community and rejected by her own family.

In 2004, an Afnet worker convinced her to undergo a simple medical procedure,which solved the problem.

"I was discriminated against, living a lonely life, now I communicate with others and participate in life," she said.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, July 13, 2009

Despite efforts to curb female genital cutting, there is a very slow change of heart in Afar

Posted on June 29, 2009 AMREF News Over the past 10 years, hundreds of little girls have passed through the heavily veined hands of Asiya Harbu. Her fingers are long and slender, the nails short, but while a woman’s hands are often gentle and reassuring, a channel of love and nurture, hers have brought unspeakable pain and gross disfigurement to her fragile charges. Asiya Harbu, 45 a traditional circumciser from Sabwe Kebele ward in Awash, AfarAsiya, 45, is a traditional circumciser. She lives in Sabwe Kebele (ward) in Awash, a district in Ethiopia’s vast Afar Region. Asiya doubles up as a traditional birth attendant, and if the baby is a girl, she is the one who will circumcise her. As early as two weeks after the birth, the girl’s mother invites her to perform the operation, holding down the screaming infant to enable Asiya to do her work. There is no anaesthesia. Female genital cutting (FGC) is widespread in Ethiopia, with 73 per cent of women having been through it. But the figure is much higher in Afar, which records a 91 per cent practice rate. Efforts by various organisations to get communities to abandon it have borne little fruit. “There are deep social and cultural reasons for endurance of the practice,” says Samuel Hailu, AMREF's Programme Officer for Reproductive Health in Ethiopia. “Some people believe that it will protect girls against rape, and prevent them from becoming promiscuous by reducing their sexual urges. Others do it for health and aesthetic reasons. They say that the genital area looks better and is cleaner after the operation.” He adds: “There is also a strong belief that FGC is an Islamic religious requirement, although there is a disagreement between religious leaders over this. Some see the campaign against FGC as the western world’s attempt to dilute their way of life, and others say it should be stopped because it has no basis in Islam. Yet even those who speak out against it still have their daughters circumcised. Pressure from society in general ensures that FGC thrives. An uncircumcised girl and her family are stigmatised by the community, and no man will marry her.” Hailu has written a paper on why female genital cutting persists in the Afar Region despite all interventions. “There are strong forces of demand and supply,” he observes. “Mothers and grandmothers decide when the girl is to go through it – between infancy and adolescence – and then force her to go. On the other hand, it is a source of livelihood for the circumcisers, who are paid either in cash or kind. When they are asked to stop doing it, they demand compensation.” One circumciser who was offered goats to rear as an alternative source of income asked: “Why should I bother keeping animals when I can earn a living by cutting girls?” The World Health Organisation defines female genital mutilation, alternatively known as female genital cutting or female circumcision, as “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”. It has no health benefits but instead interferes with the natural function of girls' and women's bodies. In Ethiopia, the age-old custom is carried out in varying forms. Infibulation, the severest kind involving excision of the external genitalia and sealing of the vaginal opening, is the practice in Awash, where Asiya lives. Clitoridectomy involves removal of the clitoris and labia minora without the stitching. The mildest version is sunna – chopping off of the tip of the clitoris and its protective covering. All methods put the girl in grave danger. Immediate consequences include severe pain, shock, excessive bleeding, difficulty in passing urine, infection, psychological trauma and even death. In the long term, the victims suffer decreased sexual enjoyment, chronic pain, recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, cysts, scarring, and infertility. Women who have undergone genital mutilation are more likely to have complications at childbirth, leading to caesarean section deliveries and heavy loss of blood. The fact that most women deliver outside the hospital means there are many deaths of both mothers and their babies. Dr Teshome Kassaye, a gynaecologist employed by AMREF at the Awash Health Centre, first has to cut through the scar tissue of the stitched labia of the women who come to the centre for delivery. “If she gives birth at home, which is the case for many women, the traditional birth attendant cuts her open with a jillie, a large, curved hunting knife owned by the woman’s husband. Sometimes the baby spontaneously tears the lips open,” says Teshome. Despite the pain and injury, despite the deaths and disability, female genital mutilation persists in Afar. It persists despite a law prohibiting the practice in Ethiopia, and despite activities by numerous non-governmental organisations to discourage it. AMREF has been working with the government in Afar since 2007 to improve reproductive health by reducing female genital mutilation, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and the deaths of mothers and children. Joint workshops for community health workers and female circumcisers where candid discussions are held are beginning to bear fruit, albeit very small fruit. Asiya has attended a few of these sessions, and knows quite well the consequences of female genital cutting. “I have been told what the dangers are to the girls. I know that when she is growing up, sex is a problem because she gets hurt and bleeds. Giving birth is also difficult and could result in a fistula, making her unable to control how her urine flows. Many girls have died because of complications. I was doing it because it is our culture, and it gives the girls respect in the society. But now things are changing. I want to concentrate on being a traditional birth attendant.” Other circumcisers say they too would like to stop, but people continue to bring their daughters to them. Fear of prosecution has forced some of them to ply their trade in secret, but poor law enforcement mechanisms and lack of awareness make the law largely ineffective. A police officer in Afar said he had heard that FGC had been criminalised in the Ethiopian law, but did not know what to do about it. “We don’t have a copy of the document and we are not sure on what legal grounds we can take measures against those who practise it.” AMREF’s strategy to speed up progress in the campaign includes pushing for enforcement of relevant laws, and developing alternative ways for circumcisers to earn income. Furthermore, AMREF is also involving the community in designing relevant and effective activities to deter the practice and coordinating activities of all NGOs working in this field in Afar.

Minister Highlights Dangers of Female Circumcision

By Lorraine Connolly, Community Newswire HEALTH Circumcision Southwark, 01 Jul 2009 - 15:42 Maria Eagle, deputy minister for Women and Equality, spoke to education, health and third sector professionals on Tuesday, about the dangers of female genital mutilation (FGM). The Minister was speaking at an event held at the Globe Academy in Southwark to launch a factsheet designed to help raise awareness about this illegal and cruel practice. She highlighted the need for increased awareness and vigilance before the school summer holidays, a time when girls are at increased risk of being taken abroad to undergo the practice. Ms Eagle said: "Violence against women and girls is totally unacceptable. The Government is determined to tackle it, in all its forms. Female genital mutilation is a cruel practice, with devastating physical and psychological effects. "It has been banned in this country for nearly 25 years but in 2003 this Government went further and introduced legislation that made it illegal to take girls who are British nationals or permanent residents of the UK abroad to undergo this procedure. But we must continue to work together to protect the welfare of young girls." FGM, also known as 'female genital cutting' or 'female circumcision', is considered child abuse in the UK and is a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It is a procedure involving the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia for non-medical reasons. It has been estimated that up to 24,000 girls under the age of 15 are at risk of FGM in the UK. The practice largely affects the African community, although other communities can be affected, such as Yemini, Kurdish, Indonesian and Pakistani. The FGM factsheet explains what this practice is, who is affected by it, how to identify those at risk, health risks of FGM, and where to get further guidance. It will be distributed to professionals in schools and Local Safeguarding Children Boards. It will also be available on the Government Equalities Office Website at www.equalities.gov.uk or via Teachernet, www.teachernet.gov.uk. Tuesday's event was organised in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police's Project Azure campaign, which this year is focussing on FGM. For more information on local safeguarding children boards, visit www.everychildmatters.gov.uk.

Medics drive to highlight mutilation risks posed by illegal op

June 28, 2009 A DANGEROUS and illegal medical procedure which is carried out on young girls has become the focus of a poster campaign. Health and social care bosses are taking steps to tackle the issue of female genital mutilation, a practice which can cause life-threatening bleeding, psychological damage and problems during pregnancy and childbirth. The procedure, which may be carried out for cultural or religious reasons, is normally performed on young girls by older women in some African and Asian communities. Medics in Derby are seeing an average of about six women a year who are suffering from complications as a result of the practice. They say that, of the patients they have seen, none had the procedure recently and all were operated on abroad. An on-going poster campaign, run by NHS Derby City, in partnership with other organisations, is under way to educate Derby's growing migrant population of the risks and, hopefully, prevent any new cases. Victor Chilaka, a gynaecologist at Derby City General Hospital, has treated a number of patients who have had complications as a result of the procedure. He said: "I don't think it's fair to wait for it to happen before we do something." Posters have been put up in Derby's GP surgeries and hospitals warning that the practice is illegal and can lead to serious complications. k3ywe4c9px And educational sessions have been carried out to alert health professionals. The campaign is aimed at Derby's growing migrant population. Between 2002 and 2007, approximately 13,000 new migrants moved to the city, including 1,430 black Africans and 4,940 Asians. About 13% of people in Derby were born outside the UK, an increase of 8.5% since 2001. Mr Chilaka said: "We've seen a progressive increase in the number of people presenting with genital mutilation." The majority of girls given the procedure are aged between four and 10 and are from Africa, the Middle East and South and South-east Asia. In some countries, such as Egypt, Somalia and Sudan, the practice is carried out on 98% of girls. But in others, such as Nigeria, Kenya and Senegal, it is much lower – between 20% and 50%. In the UK, it is illegal to carry out the practice and take a child abroad to undergo it. Despite this, about 6,500 girls in the UK are thought to be at risk.

Burkina Faso: President launches bid to reduce FGM/C

OUAGADOUGOU, 5 June 2009 (IRIN) - Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré has launched a campaign to reduce female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) by 30 percent by 2013. Burkina Faso has made more progress on reducing FGM/C than its neighbours, lowering the percentage of girls undergoing the procedure to 50 percent in 2005 from 77 percent in the 1990s. But following a government outlaw of the practice in 1996, some women perfoming excisions are cutting babies, rather than young girls, to escape scrutiny. Marie Rose Sawadogo, permanent secretary of the National Committee against Female Circumcision (CNLPE), told IRIN: "I am calling on the entire population to unite behind this plan to reach zero tolerance to FGM/C by 2015." On 2 June President Compaoré travelled to Kaya, 100km north of the capital Ouagadougou – where resistance to stopping FGM/C has been high – to garner the support of traditional and religious leaders. Some 260 young girls underwent FGM/C in Burkina Faso in 2008, 40 percent of whom required medical treatment following the procedure, according to the CNLPE.