Violence against women, abandoning FGM: the role of parliaments

Summary: This conference will make possible an exchange of views between parliamentarians of African countries and will help build a better understanding of the role that parliaments should play in fighting FGMC. Specifically, the conference will emphasise the means available to eradicate this practice not only through laws, but also through societal changes and action at the local level.

[DAKAR, 4 December 2005] - Parliamentarians from across Africa have convened in Dakar, Senegal for a conference to learn about female genital mutilation (FGM) and discuss what they can do to help end the dangerous and violent practice.

The organisers of the conference - the National Assembly of Senegal and the African Parliamentary Union (APU), in cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UNICEF - say national parliaments in Africa have a particularly crucial role to play in the fight against FGM/C and that greater collective action among them should be a common and urgent priority.

According to a report just released by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, more than 3 million girls in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East are subjected to genital mutilation and cutting every year. FGM is a violation of their fundamental human rights and affects far more girls and women than was previously known.

But while progress towards abandoning the practice has been painfully slow, experts are optimistic that, with adequate support from a broad range of partners, including national parliaments, FGM can be eliminated within a single generation.

More than 20 parliamentarians from 100 countries have attended the regional conference entitled "Violence against women, abandoning female genital mutilation: The role of parliaments". The two-day event provided parliamentarians with an opportunity to exchange views and experiences and to better understand the role they should play in ending FGM. They also interacted with other key stakeholders including religious and traditional leaders, representatives of the media and non-governmental organisations, community leaders, legal experts and others.

Presentations, discussions and debates focused on the specific actions by parliaments at the community, national and international levels that are needed most urgently and that will have the greatest impact.

IPU President Pier Ferdinando Casini, who is also the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, called the meeting a historic opportunity and said the conference will help significantly to strengthen the capacity of African parliaments to hold their governments accountable and influence attitudes at the community level. With a clearer understanding of the situation and the challenges, we can expect more cooperation, action and commitment from Africa’s parliamentarians that, hopefully, will lead to real and lasting change for millions of girls and women who have suffered too long in silence from the violence of FGM/C. 

Imam Cheikh Hassan Cisse, President of the Network of African Islamic Associations, played a key role in the conference as did other religious and traditional leaders. Because of their influence, credibility and grounding in communities, faith leaders are playing a vital part in the fight against FGM/C. Participants heard about successful initiatives of faith leaders who have openly confronted the issue and played a decisive role in stimulating valuable public debate leading to abandonment of FGM/C.

The conference is expected to adopt a final Declaration that will be the basis for follow-up action with African national parliaments, the international community and others in the months ahead.

[Source: UNICEF]