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 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FGM
DEVELOPING A POLITICAL, LEGAL AND SOCAIL ENVIRONMENT TO
IMPLEMENT THE MAPUTO PROTOCOL
The International Conference on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), held
in Nairobi from September 16 to 18, has been organized by Non Peace
Without Justice (NPWJ) and the Kenyan Government, in partnership with
the Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) and with the
sponsorship of the European Commission, CIDA-GESP and Unicef together
with the Italian Cooperation. After the Cairo Conference (21 – 23 June
2003), the Nairobi Conference was a fundamental step of the StopFGM
campaign for the eradication of FGM and was aimed at developing a
political, legal and social environment for the ratification and the
implementation of the Maputo Protocol to the African Charter on Human
and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa”. The conference
involved Governments and Parliaments of the East and West Africa
Region (Kenya, Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Djibouti, Tanzania,
Uganda, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso) as well as affected persons,
former circumcisers, doctors, teachers, judges, representatives from
all levels of government, parliamentarians and representatives of
civil society, NGOs, cultural and religious community leaders, and
students even from primary schools. The participation of local
representatives from the rural areas was an integral aspect of the
conference in order to maximize the effective spreading of the message
throughout Kenya. All in all, more than 500 persons were involved in
the Conference’ works, with parallel theatre performances by students
on the issue, NGO’s stands and exhibition, After a three-days
discussion, political and civil participants produced a Final
Declaration where FGM are defined as a “violation of the rights of
women and girls” and as an “assault on their human dignity”. The
document underlines that FGM “has no basis in any religion but instead
degrades the status of women and deprives women and girls of their
basic human rights”. It also urged governments to ratify the Maputo
Protocol, which is considered “the most important initiative for the
abandonment of harmful practices. Ratification and effective
implementation of the Protocol by all African countries and its rapid
entry into force would be a considerable step forward not only for
abandonment of FGM and the protection of women and girls at risk of
undergoing the practice, but also for women’s rights and gender issues
in general”. Concerning the ratification of the Maputo Protocol, not
only Kenya, but also Tanzania, Mozambique, Senegal and Botswana had
clearly expressed their intention to ratify the agreement. Governments
of Djibouti and Mali formally invited NPWJ to jointly organize
regional conference on this issue in Djibouti and in Mali, in the near
future. This is a real achievement, as in both countries FGM had never
been a priority for the government. Another positive outcome of the
Conference is the nonviolent approach developed by Kenyan women in the
struggle against FGM, which see many women and girls publicly affirm
that they won’t have to undergo FGM no more. Local media as well as
the international one, like BBC, CNN, Rai, Libération, Herald Tribune,
La Stampa and others covered extensively the event.
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