28.08.2021
Report on the High Level Panel Discussion on the Multisectoral Prevention of and Response to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
23 June 2021
The 47th Session of the Human Rights Council
22 June-15 July 2021
By: Melanie M. Ouma and Claudia González
On June 23, 2021, the Human Rights Council convened a high level panel discussion on the multisectoral prevention of and response to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as decided in resolution 44/16 on the elimination of FGM. The panel discussion sought to bring together representatives of States, national human rights institutions, NGOs and other actors to highlight commitments and share good practices on the prevention and elimination of FGM.
Opening statements
Ms. Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, opened the discussion noting that FGM is a serious violation of human rights that affects women and girls everywhere. As she mentioned, before the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 200 million girls and women had been subjected to this practice and at least 4 million girls were at risk every year. In this regard, she emphasised the need to prioritize and integrate the prevention and elimination of FGM in Covid-19 national response and humanitarian action plans. Ms. Bachelet then went on to stress that the economic costs of FGM to countries is also very high, and noted that according to the World Health Organisation, treating the health impacts of FGM would amount to USD 1.4 billion globally every year. As she emphasised, without strong action, these costs could soar by 2050.
Ms. Bachelet also mentioned that even though efforts have been made to prevent and eliminate FGM, progress to eliminate the practice by 2030 was already too slow before the Covid-19, which has further hampered such efforts. In this regard, she noted that the loss of jobs and income, school closures and changing priorities of frontline professionals, policy makers and donors are increasing the risk of girls and women to be subject to FGM. The High Commissioner also emphasised the need for more innovative and effective strategies against this practice and the need to strengthen partnerships prioritizing a multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary rights-based and gender responsive approach. In this sense, she specified that a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach means taking into consideration how the practice is linked to discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes as well as intersecting forms of discrimination and other root causes of gender equality. Additionally, she mentioned that girls and women must have access to information, education, healthcare, social services and justice, and highlighted that engaging with communities to collectively explore and find ways to fulfil their values without causing harm and violating the human rights of women and girls is essential.
Following Ms. Bachelet’s statement, the Minister for Women, National Solidarity, Family and Humanitarian Action of Burkina Faso, Ms. Helène Marie Laurence Ilboudo, delivered a statement on behalf of Mr. Roch Marc Christian Kaboré. In her intervention, the Minister emphasised that FGM is a violation of the fundamental human rights of women and girls that deprives them of their physical and mental integrity, their right to reproductive and sexual health, their right to physical autonomy and in some cases, even their right to life. Additionally, she commended the efforts of States and the international community to combat FGM over the last few decades, which she noted, have allowed for the establishment of a legal institutional framework to prevent and ban the practice in a number of African states. Despite these advances, however, she noted that 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone FGM, and that an additional 50 million girls will be subject to this practice between now and 2030 if no action is taken.
Ms. Ilboudo highlighted the need to use all partnerships and synergies available to achieve the goal of zero tolerance by 2030 and noted that the current context is further exposing women and girls to FGM. In this regard, she called on all States to make the combat against FGM their priority and to include measures to fight FGM in national development programs. Additionally, she emphasised the need to look for innovative solutions and said that even though there have been a number of strong commitments towards achieving zero tolerance by 2030, such as the AU action plan and its project to combat FGM, more needs to be done.
The Minister ended her opening statement by calling upon States, activists, financial and technical partners to contribute to the implementation of resolution 44/16 and highlighting the need to allocate additional funds to fully eradicate FGM and to implement global initiatives that involve and bring together different stakeholders.
After Ms. Ilboudo’s intervention, the director of End FGM European Network, Ms. Anna Widegren, took the floor to deliver her opening remarks as moderator of the discussion. Ms. Widegren game some insight into the current situation in Europe, noting that there are over 600 thousand FGM survivors in the continent as well as over 190 thousand women at risk of undergoing FGM in 17 European countries alone. Ms. Widegren also noted the importance of establishing multi-stakeholder platforms to coordinate the work among different sectors in order to effectively build bridges among all relevant actors, and emphasised that such coordination mechanisms must not only connect sectors though a horizontal axis but must also connect different levels of governance on a vertical axis. The moderator also mentioned that there is a great variety of scenarios around the existence of a multi-agency coordination mechanism dedicated to tackling FGM at the national level in Europe, noting that while some countries have a full-functioning inter-agency coordination mechanism, such as Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Germany, and Finland, others do not have them at all or in some countries depend on the subnational level. Ms. Widegren finished her opening statement by highlighting the key role that the Council of Europe and the EU can play in the push for the harmonisation of policies at the national level to guarantee an equally comprehensive and holistic approach to end FGM in all European States.
Panelists
The first panellist to intervene was Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, who began her statement by referring to resolution 16/44. Dr. Kanem noted that FGM has denied an estimated 200 million girls and women alive today their right to bodily autonomy and the full enjoyment of their sexual and reproductive rights, and emphasised that the current estimate of 3.9 million girls mutilated each year could rise to 4.6 million by 2030 if current efforts are not accelerated. The Executive Director of UNFPA also mentioned that there has been some progress, but mentioned that it has been uneven, and the absolute number of girls at risk continues to climb with population growth. There is evidence of an overall decline in FGM in Africa, particularly visible in Burkina Faso, Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, Liberia, Tanzania, and Togo; but she stated that despite improvement the number has grown overall especially with disruptions in schools due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Dr. Kanem also spoke about the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation, through which more than 430,000 women and girls received health services in 2020 and tens of thousands accessed social and legal services. As she strongly emphasised, FGM is grounded in a multiplicity of social, cultural and economic factors as well as intersectoral discrimination and negative gender stereotypes. Addressing this complex web of issues, she noted, requires that political will be translated into a multisectoral response that brings the whole of government and society together, and demands that accountability systems are strengthened at all levels.
Strengthening accountability systems at all levels has been paying off, the UNFPA Director shared with the Council that as of 2020, 14 of the countries covered by the Joint Programme have adopted legislation criminalising FGM. However, she emphasised that ending this practice requires far more than just law enforcement alone, stressing that it requires a concerted effort to mobilize stakeholders in education, health, social protection, justice, public information, development planning, finance, gender quality, and other sectors.
Dr. Kanem did mention that cross-sectoral coordination has improved and that we see multisectoral national plans with dedicated budget lines to address FGM and legally mandated coordination mechanisms like Kenya’s anti-FGM board. The Director also spoke about the importance of empowering parliamentarians, national human rights institutions, civil society watchdogs, women and youth activists and human rights defenders to monitor and advance efforts to drive effective change, and noted that the Joint Programme also engages traditional and community leaders, religious authorities, parents and others in positions of authority, which are key actors in the fight against FGM.
Dr. Kanem finished her intervention by acknowledging that resolution 44/16 is already inspiring regional organisations and member states to take a comprehensive approach to accountability, and saying that it is time to match political will with structures that can mobilise all actors, especially women and girls at risk and survivors, as drivers of social change.
Ms. Amira Elfadil Mohammed Elfadil, Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union Commission, took the floor next. She said that the elimination of FGM remains an important area of work for the Commission and referred to the AU Saleema initiative to end FGM, which was launched in 2019. Additionally, Ms. Elfadil called on AU member states to strengthen their reporting on FGM, to remain accountable to regional human rights organs and to deliver on agreed standards and practices. Moreover, she mentioned some key commitments of the Commission, including its aim to strengthen partnerships and to continue to encourage member states to deliver on commitments to end gender-based violence and assure women’s human rights.
The Commissioner also noted that investments such as the Spotlight Initiative Africa regional programme are lending critical capacity support needed to move forward with ending gender-based violence and harmful practices and strengthening human rights action. Finally she closed her statement by encouraging all Human Rights Council members and other stakeholders to continue engaging with the AU Commission to find lasting normative changes needed to guarantee girls’ and women’s human rights, and inviting them to work alongside the AU Saleema Initiative to bring about a coordinated and accelerated continental momentum to protect children, especially girls, and to achieve zero FGM in Africa in one generation.
The last panellist intervention was that of Mr. Bahrul Fuad, Commissioner at the National Commission on Violence against Women of Indonesia, who shared the work of the Commission in eliminating FGM/C (FGM/Cutting). Mr. Fuad specifically referred to the results of three studies conducted on FGM/C practices in Indonesia for evidence-based advocacy, which were among the first to highlight the devastating impact of this practice for girls in the country. As he noted, the studies showed that 53% of respondents reported bleeding, 52% reported reduced sex drive and 2% reported infertility. Additionally, the studies found that girls experienced prolonged trauma as a result of experiencing FGM and that economically, FGM/C rituals contribute to additional household expenses. Based on these results, Mr. Fuad said that the Commission has built dialogue and strategic partnerships with religious and traditional leaders and that they have also built the capacities of ministries and equipped them with a comprehensive understanding of the drivers of FGM. Mr. Fuad also mentioned that they have set up an advocacy consortium consisting of religious leaders, academics and civil society organisations, and that as a result of this advocacy, the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection has developed advocacy guidelines for the elimination of FGM/C targeted at youth, religious leaders and families in Indonesia. The hope is that the advocacy consortium will continue to keep all agents and stakeholders accountable to their commitment to eradicate FGM. Finally, the Commissioner also highlighted that as a result of this collective effort, various ministries have developed a multisectoral 2030 Roadmap for the elimination of FGM/C in the country, which clearly outlined the role of each sector.
Despite these successes, however, Mr. Fuad acknowledged that challenges remain. On the one hand, he noted that gathering accurate data on FGM/C practices is quite challenging, as it is practiced mostly on girls below the age of four months and therefore, needs secondary reporting from parents and family members. Moreover, he also pointed out that the Government is also yet to have a clear regulation on the elimination of FGM.
Having said that, Mr. Fuad mentioned some key actions that the Commission is planning to take. First, he said that they will support ministries in developing and strengthening policies for the prevention and elimination of FGM/C. Second, he stated that they will continue to mobilise and strengthen the advocacy consortium, and finally, he said that they will expand the number of ministries and experts involved in the prevention and elimination of FGM/C. The Commissioner then went on to close his statement by saying that with political leadership and a multisectoral engagement inclusive of civil society they hope that FGM/C can be eliminated by 2030.
The Position of Interested Delegations
24 delegations delivered statements during the session.
African Group
The delegation of Cameroon delivered a statement on behalf of the African group in which the representative pointed out that FGM is a violation of human rights and a form of violence against women and girls, and noted that this harmful practice undermines the recognition, enjoyment and exercise of women and girls’ human rights and fundamental freedoms. The representative welcomed initiatives developed within the AU and its member states in the context of identifying actions aimed at eliminating FGM, and referred to Africa’s agenda 2063, which calls for the elimination of all forms of violence and harmful practices against women and girls. Additionally, the representative welcomed the adoption of the accountability framework of the Saleema Initiative and the Ouagadougou Call to Action on FGM, but noted that despite these meaningful efforts, the African group notes with regret that the practice of FGM persists notably in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which risks undermining global mobilisation. The representative closed his statement by emphasising that States have the primary responsibility to prevent and eliminate FGM and urging them to develop comprehensive and multisectoral approaches and strategies in line with international human rights law, based on principles of accountability, participation, transparency, empowerment, sustainability, equality, non-discrimination and international cooperation.
Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana Sudan and Niger mentioned some key measures taken nationally to end FGM. Senegal said that the country’s constitution as well as a number of laws and regulations ensure respect for women and girls’ rights and highlighted that the country is committed to protecting and promoting these rights. The representative also noted that women and girls are priority beneficiaries of the national social protection policy, and stressed that on a global level, the crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to putting the fight against FGM on the back burner. In this regard, Senegal emphasised the importance of including FGM in Covid-19 prevention plans. Kenya, in turn, pointed out that FGM is one of the worst forms of human rights violations and that it reflects deep-rooted inequalities between sexes. Additionally, the representative said that Kenya continues to be committed to achieve target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and that it has made tremendous progress at eradicating FGM with a graduate decline among women aged 15 to 49 at a rate of 4.3% reduction annually. Additionally, he mentioned that both the government and various non-state actors continue to implement multi-faceted approaches to eliminate the practice, and closed his statement by expressing concern at the fact that the Council may be used to pursue matters that are not being duly investigated nor verified.
Tanzania said that FGM is a cultural practice that is being phased out in the country through normative, policy and administrative measures. The representative emphasised that the country is taking a multisectoral approach to end FGM, which is resulting in a decline of cases, and said that the government of Tanzania will continue to uphold its commitment to eliminate FGM as one of the objectives of its national plan of action to ending violence against children and women. Ghana asserted that upholding the rights of women and girls is one of the main priorities of the Government and explained that several government bodies have been mandated to work towards the eradication of FGM. Additionally, the representative said that Ghana continues to partner with relevant stakeholders and advocacy programs on FGM, and said that support systems have been made available to provide assistance for victims and report on FGM cases.
Sudan emphasised that eliminating FGM requires cooperation between all parties, including international organisations, governments, civil society organisations, media outlets, educational institutions and clerics. Moreover, the representative explained that the country has been working on ending the practice, and said that it has been coordinating with all institutions at the federal and sate levels, as well as with civil society organisations and both regional and international organisations within a roadmap and an operational plan that covers different activities. Niger, in turn, explained that is has achieved a great deal of success in driving down FGM, and stated that such progress is due to positive action taken at the national level, including a law adopted in June 2003 that punished perpetrators and those complicit with FGM, a national prevention strategy, and also the creation of a coordination cell on FGM. The representative, however, acknowledged that despite these efforts, the practice still persists, and underlined the importance of maintaining and intensifying the global multisectoral coordination to definitively eradicate these practices.
Both South Africa and Mauritania also highlighted the importance of coordination to put an end to FGM. South Africa, on the one hand, noted that efforts to eliminate FGM should also focus on women and girls who are at most risk, in particular those who face multiple forms of discrimination, such as refugee and migrant women, women living in rural and remote communities and young girls. Additionally, the representative said that it is important to frame the various efforts to eliminate FGM within the broader Child Protection Framework, and highlighted that eliminating the practice will require adopting a multi-disciplinary approach as well as engaging and coordinating with communities and key stakeholders, including various sectors of government and civil society organisations along with UN entities. Similarly, Mauritania, said that in order to prevent and effectively eradicate FGM, it is crucial to strengthen coordination between various stakeholders and to articulate national and even regional initiatives to combat the practice. The representative added that adopting an approach to combat FGM based on real data continues to be a factor that can bring about enormous change.
Angola, in turn, emphasised that FGM continues to negatively impact the full enjoyment of life and of the right to privacy of thousands of women and girls, and noted that no region is spared from this practice. Based on that, the representative added that member states as well as all stakeholders must continue to hunt it down, hold perpetrators accountable and provide justice for all survivors, and asked the panellists what best practices observed so far could help member states to prevent it in certain target communities. Finally, Namibia expressed concern at the slow progress observed in some countries in preventing and eliminating FGM and noted that the practice continues to be destructive to the collective attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the full implementation of human rights. The Namibian representative called on States to act and join efforts to eliminate the practice through robust implementation of the laws put in place over the years, and spoke about the need to realise the central role women can play as agents of change. Additionally, she noted that harmful traditional practices must be addressed at the community level looking at the root causes in order to eliminate this practice, and encouraged other organisations to render technical and financial support to States in their efforts to eliminate FGM. Lastly, the representative called on States to take positive steps in eliminating the practice by conducting effective awareness raising campaigns, training health professionals adequately and putting accountability measures in place for those who perpetrate FGM.
European Union and other States
The European Union, Portugal (on behalf of the community of Portuguese speaking countries), Norway (on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic countries), Belgium (on behalf of a group of countries), Italy, Austria, Monaco and Switzerland said that FGM is an extreme form of sexual and gender-based violence and a serious violation of women and girls’ rights. The European Union highlighted that the practice has a negative impact on the sustainable development of societies and expressed its readiness to further step up cooperation with third countries and to continue to prioritise the fight against FGM, including within its own borders. Additionally, the representative underlined the key role of civil society organisations, UN agencies and other relevant stakeholders, and noted that UNFPA estimates that 68 million girls will likely undergo FGM over the next 12 year, which he said, should be a wake up call for the international community.
Portugal, in turn, stated that the effects of FGM are far-reaching and must not be played down, and reiterated the commitment of the community of Portuguese speaking countries to promoting the rights of women, gender equality and the eradication of all forms of violence against women and girls, including FGM. Moreover, the representative said all States must deploy efforts to eradicate the practice and protect victims, and emphasised the need to act on the systemic and structural causes of FGM, and to involve national authorities, civil society and local actors in prevention and response strategies. Norway said that in order to eliminate FGM a wide range of interventions in the form of legislation, policies, change of norms, access to essential health services and education are necessary, and noted that 2021 should be an opportunity to unite for action and to increase the resources and investments needed to see a complete end to FGM by 2030. In this same line, Belgium emphasised that it is vital to be vigilant and to continue to work towards this end, and mentioned some measures adopted by the Francophonie, including the adoption of a strategy for promoting the equality and empowerment of women and girls, which condemns all acts of discrimination, abuse and violence against them, including harmful traditional practices like FGM. Finally, the representative reiterated the group’s call for the effective implementation of Human Rights Council resolution 44/16.
Italy said that the eradication of FGM and the fight against child marriage are two core priorities of the current mandate of the country at the Human Rights Council, and underlined that in order to end FGM is it key not only to eliminate obstacles to women equality and empowerment, but also to move towards a society where violence against women is not allowed. Additionally, the representative expressed concern at the fact that Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted women and girls and has disrupted progress on SDG target 5.3. Austria, in turn, noted that there is a close link between sustainable development and women and girls’ rights to body autonomy and to have full control and decide freely on matters related to their sexuality and their sexual and reproductive health. The representative also mentioned some measures taken nationally to combat FGM, and noted that Austria has significantly scaled up its commitment to eradicate the practice. Finally, she emphasised that universal access to quality and affordable sexual and reproductive health information, comprehensive sexuality education and health services are more important than ever.
Switzerland noted the importance of adopting a multi-disciplinary approach in the fight against FGM and underlined the need for international and national cooperation and the adequate provision of medical assistance for women and girls. The representative mentioned some actions taken nationally to combat FGM, including its criminalisation in 2012, the creation of a network against FGM in 2016 or the creation of regional cantonal contact points for victims in 2019. Moreover, she said that eradicating FGM remains ineffective if there is no information and education, and asked the panellists to share best practices on FGM prevention and education. Finally, Monaco noted that FGM still continues to affect more than 90 countries and must be eradicated and firmly condemned by the international community. Moreover, the representative said that FGM constituted a serious threat to the right of women and girls to health and well-being, and asked the panellists their opinion about what high priority actions should be conducted at the international level to counter the effects of the pandemic on the fight against the practice.
Arab States
During the session, Egypt intervened three times. The delegation delivered a statement on its own behalf first; the second intervention was made on behalf of a group of 100 States, UNFPA and UNICEF, and the third one was made on behalf of a group of Arab States.
In the statement delivered on Egypt’s behalf, the representative highlighted some key actions taken nationally to fight FGM. She explained that on June 14th, 2021, the country had celebrated the national day on the elimination of FGM and the adoption of a law to impose heavier penalties on the practice, which included the elimination of any reference to medical justification or necessity and the introduction of new sanctions for doctors and medical practitioners who perform FGM. Additionally, the representative explained that religious institutions have also rejected the harmful practice and noted that it is a custom that has spread under misinterpretation of religion.
In the second statement of the Egyptian delegation, which was delivered on behalf of a group of countries, the representative noted that FGM is a violation of human rights, and that both governments and civil society must work together to accelerate the elimination of this practice. Additionally, he emphasised that FGM cannot be justified on religious or cultural grounds and expressed concern at the fact that progress in reducing the prevalence of FGM has not been up to the expectations. The representative went on to note that raising awareness of the adverse health consequences of FGM alone will not end the practice, and if this information is not communicated sensitively, it can promote the medicalization of FGM. He then called on all stakeholders to put an end to said medicalization with actions aligned with the Global Strategy to stop healthcare providers from performing FGM. Finally, the representative said that it is important to strengthen the understanding and knowledge of health ministries and healthcare workers through various initiatives, including the establishment of health policies and protocols advocating for the elimination of FGM, the creation of networks between professional associations and unions of healthcare providers and religious leaders, the empowerment of healthcare workers to be agents of change, the establishment of codes of conduct and accountability mechanisms, and the promotion of other forms of accountability mechanisms to monitor government efforts to eliminate the medicalization of FGM.
Finally, during Egypt’s third intervention, which was delivered on behalf of a group of Arab States, the representative emphasised that FGM is an extremely harmful act that cannot be justified with reference to religious texts, and that it has a serious negative impact on the health of girls and women. Moreover, she noted that putting an end to this practice will have a positive impact on the health, education and development of women and society, called on all States to continue to undertake outreach activities in remote areas and underlined the need to work with civil society, religious groups and health professionals to eradicate this practice.
Iraq also delivered a statement during the panel discussion. The representative noted that FGM is particularly prevalent in Kurdistan and in remote villages. She noted that FGM is banned in the country’s domestic law, and emphasised the importance of taking a holistic policy to combat the practice. In this regard, she said that Iraq, and Kurdistan in particular, are clear examples of this, and explained some measures taken to address the issue, including the implementation of a cooperation programme involving the women’s council and various ministries, the involvement of key stakeholders in their awareness raising campaigns or their work with preachers in mosques to raise awareness about the harmful effects of FGM.
Other actors
UN Women also intervened as an interested delegation during the session. The representative mentioned that at least 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone some form of FGM in 30 countries, and that in the majority of cases, girls were cut before the age of 5. Additionally, she noted that the pandemic disrupted prevention interventions and multisectoral service provision for survivors of FGM, which could result in a 33% reduction in progress towards eliminating the practice by 2030. The representative also emphasised that sustainable change requires a rights-based and culturally-sensitive multi-disciplinary approach that engages all stakeholders, and explained that this should include all three of the following elements: (1) the adoption of laws and policies, (2) the provision of coordinated, accessible and high quality responses for girls and women who have been subjected to the practice, and (3) comprehensive prevention strategies that address social norms, gender roles and stereotypes, unequal power relations between men and women and discrimination against women and girls. Finally, she noted that solutions to end FGM must encompass FGM prevention, protection and care at the level of families as well as in institutions and across societies, and said that this requires the engagement of governments, the UN system, civil society, and all relevant stakeholders.
The Statements of Non-Governmental Organisations
Several non-governmental organisations delivered statements during the session, including: International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF); Defense for Children International; Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Center for Women (ARROW); Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme (RADDHO); and Genève pour les Droits de l’Homme.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) spoke about the widespread prevalence of FGM in Somaliland and noted that complications for women and girls around the world include a wide range of physical and mental trauma, and may lead to death. What makes dealing with FGM difficult is that perpetrators of this practice are often Mothers, Grandmothers, loving family members; the question then becomes how to prevent FGM while preserving the do no harm principle. The representative of the Federation recommended various best practices to eradicate FGM, including (1) adopting holistic approaches that involve working simultaneously on advocacy and legislation to protect victims while offering comprehensive integrated clinical services and engaging communities, (2) building local capacities and evidence-based programming, and (3) ensuring continuous support for communities though partnerships. IPPF also emphasised the need for adapted responses and nuanced approaches to prevent and eliminate FGM and highlighted the importance of deploying integrated FGM/C interventions.
Defense for Children International emphasised that the elimination of FGM contributes to achieving gender equality and noted that the practice has revived with the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, the representative spoke about the situation in Liberia and pointed out that the 2018 executive order that banned FGM from being performed on girls younger than 18 did little to address the part community leaders play in perpetrating this crime and that at this moment there is no law that expressly criminalises the practice in the country. The representative went on to say that more than 50% of girls and women in Liberia have been mutilated and no perpetrator has ever been prosecuted for performing FGM. Finally, she urged the government to: (1) develop a legal framework in the penal code that explicitly criminalises FGM, (2) support practice change within communities by reaching out to local chiefs, and (3) intensify efforts to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence to reach SDG target 5.3.
The Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Center for Women (ARROW) denounced that in the region and globally, sexual and reproductive health services are being de-funded, de-prioritized and even rolled back, and noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has made it even more difficult for activists and organisations in the region to carry out community engagement, verify information and collect real time data. Additionally, the representative of ARROW called on member States to take several actions, such as increasing funding and support for grassroots and women-led organisations working to end FGM, recognising sexual and reproductive health services as essential to allow service providers to continue to operate during emergencies or engaging with health professionals to disrupt the medicalization of FGM.
Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme (RADDHO), in turn, noted that a process of social evolution leading to the eradication of FGM is under way in a number of countries, but acknowledged that despite efforts deployed by the international community, the general rate of reduction is still slow. Moreover, the representative highlighted the importance of taking a coordinated action to fight FGM, and asked the panelists about best practices to promote the socio-rehabilitation of victims.
Finally, Genève pour les Droits de l’Homme spoke about the importance of preventing, eliminating and responding to FGM, and mentioned that although many governments have banned the practice, the enforcement of the law must be improved in order for it to be effective. Additionally, the representative encouraged States to engage with all relevant stakeholders with a view to prioritise the issue of harmful practices like FGM and increase mobilisation and cooperation on this global problem.
Concluding Remarks
Towards the end of the discussion, the moderator took the floor again to highlight some key points raised during the session and re-state the questions formulated by some of the speakers. Then, she gave the floor to the panellists, who gave their own concluding remarks.
The first to intervene was Ms. Monica Ferro, who spoke on behalf of Dr. Kanem. She referred to the work of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme and delivered a statement on behalf of the World Health Organisation. She said that the Organisation will continue to work through the health sector to ensure FGM prevention, highlighted that this particular sector is a key component of a multisectoral response against FGM, and stressed that healthcare workers can be allies in ending the practice as well as in providing the highest quality healthcare to women and girls.
She noted that this is part of the answer to the question on best practices, which involves a multiplicity of social, cultural and economic components as well. As Ms. Ferro explained, over the last 20 years, there have been many countries that have adopted national laws prohibiting FGM, but pointed out that enacting laws is not enough. In this regard, she underlined the need for cross-sectoral coordination between different ministries and parts of the government, and said that FGM needs to be included in the work plans of the health, education and social protection sectors, as well as the home affairs, justice, public information, finance gender equality and other sectors.
Ms. Ferro then explained another best practice observed from the results of the Joint Programme, which is the idea that social norms will change only if such change is sustainable and is promoted from within communities. She explained that this is why as part of the Programme, they have encouraged non-state actors such as traditional leaders, religious authorities, private entities, parents and other actors in positions of authority to join the conversation. Finally, Ms. Ferro closed her statement by emphasising the need to strengthen accountability and legal protection.
Mr. Bahrul Fuad took the floor next and explained that in Indonesia, they are collaborating with stakeholders from different sectors like the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to develop a module for children in school which seeks to end the practice of FGM, and that they are also collaborating with civil society organisations to educate people and eradicate FGM in the country. Mr. Fuad closed his statement by emphasising the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration.
The last panellist to intervene was Ms. Soraya Addi, who spoke on behalf of the African Union. She said that on a global level the recommendation of the African Union would be to reinforce partnerships and accountability and explained that the Saleema Initiative is currently designing an accountability framework on harmful practices. In this regard, she recommended and called on all their partners and stakeholders to support their efforts for more accountability. Ms. Addi also spoke about the Saleema Youth Victorious Ambassadors Programme, which was launched in September 2020 and is a good example of best practice. As she noted, it is increasing engagement with youth, women and human rights organisations to allow for a better coordinated and more realistic approach for the elimination of FGM. Moreover, she emphasised that this also allows them to have FGM survivors at the highest political level, and that by having young women and FGM survivors at the heart of their processes, they are empowering and giving African women the opportunity to have their own voice and to be heard.
The Position of Geneva International Centre for Justice
Female Genital Mutilation is a grave violation of human rights and a serious form of violence against women and girls. Geneva International Centre for Justice welcomes all efforts made towards FGM elimination but remains deeply concerned over the slow progress observed in its eradiation globally. Putting an end to this heinous practice is of utmost importance and urgency as is has very serious consequences for victims.
In order to bring FGM to a halt, multisectoral cooperation must be strengthened and comprehensive approaches to FGM elimination must be adopted. All relevant stakeholders must be involved in such efforts, including governments, civil society organisations, community and religious leaders, youth and women. This is particularly relevant, as FGM has a strong cultural dimension. GICJ believes that more action is needed in order to achieve the goal of FGM eradication by 2030, and encourages the exchange of best practices to further advance its elimination. We recognise, however, the importance of finding solutions that are adapted to the specific context of communities and societies, as they will yield more lasting and effective results.
We call on all actors from around the world to step up efforts to fight FGM, put emphasis on prevention and strengthen accountability. Certainly, eradicating this harmful practice will contribute not just to the optimal development and well-being of women and girls but also to the development of societies as a whole.
Justice, Human rights, Geneva, geneva4justice, GICJ, Geneva International Centre For Justice
