PARLIAMENTARY CAMPAIGN AGAINST FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
A hundred and thirty million girls and women in the world are subjected to excision and other forms of genital mutilation, principally in Africa and certain Arab countries, but genital mutilation is also becoming a problem for the countries of emigration of nationals of States where these traditional practices are still prevalent: European countries, Australia, Canada, United States of America and New Zealand. As a mark of its commitment to combat these harmful practices, for which no cultural or religious justification stands up to scrutiny, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is publishing a special page on its internet site.
"These mutilations violate the physical and psychic integrity of women" said Dr Najma Heptulla (India), President of the IPU Council. "One can be a good African and respect traditions without having girls excised" states the President of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso, Mr Melégué Traoré who is also a respected traditional chief.
British MP Marion Roe who tabled a bill on the subject in the British House of Commons, explains that "some girls are being sent back to Africa for a 'holiday', and the operation is being done there. Then the children go back to the United Kingdom. Alerts have gone out to doctors, nurses, teachers and social workers to look for symptoms indicating that a small child may well have had this procedure done on her, in order to try and prevent it from taking place, but also to bring to account within the law those who are taking part in it".
On its website, the IPU gives a country-by-country breakdown of legal provisions adopted to discourage and punish those responsible for these practices. The site also contains data designed to help men and women parliamentarians to increase awareness among the population and to enlist politicians, health professionals and religious and traditional leaders in bringing an end to female genital mutilation.
On 19 March, during the 107th IPU Conference in Marrakech, a think tank composed of male and female elected representatives of the countries concerned will come together in the African Group meeting to discuss ways to step up parliamentary action in this area and to better coordinate the legal and other measures to prevent these acts of violence against women.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is in this form participating in the work done in this area by the WHO, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and a large number of non governmental organisations. It is backing the States that are trying to resolve this delicate issue. The IPU debates on this question indicate that abolishing these ancestral practices under law and punishing those who either practice them or request them is not enough; it is also necessary to supplement the law with a series of measures, especially publicity campaigns and educational initiatives, and by voting sufficient funds in the budget for the retraining of excision practitioners.
All of society, especially MPs who do so much to mould public opinion, traditional chiefs and religious leaders, as well as physicians and health personnel must come together to protect girls from these practices which violate women's dignity, do lasting harm to their physical and moral integrity and damage relations between men and women.
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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 142 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has a Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York.
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