From Africa Recovery, Vol.13#4 (December 1999), Briefs page

Campaign to target female genital mutilation

Representatives from nine West African countries met in Dakar, Senegal, in early December to map out a campaign against the widespread practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). Supported by the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the workshop drew participants from government ministries and civil society organizations from Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

They agreed to develop a plan of action for the sub-region, to begin in 2000, to reduce and eventually eliminate FGM, involving women's associations, health personnel, community leaders, the media, teachers and other sectors. They also plan to establish an Internet databank with information on FGM in Africa.

Three countries in Africa already have passed laws against FGM: Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire in 1996 and Senegal in 1999. But even in those countries the practice continues, workshop participants noted, pointing to the need for an effective and sustained public education campaign to explain that FGM is a form of violence against women and that it can seriously endanger their health.

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