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06 February 2018 - NPWJ News Digest on FGM & women's rights
NPWJ press release
BanFGM Campaign: NPWJ and its partners advocate at the African Union
by NPWJ, 29 Jan 2018
On the occasion of the 30th African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa on 28-29 January 2018, a delegation of No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) and its partners, represented by their regional network, CIAF, conducted an advocacy mission to report on the progress and outcomes of the project "Ban FGM: for the elimination of female genital mutilation" (2014-2018), supported ./ was made possible by the strong political and financial support of the Italian Government. The project, aims at promoting implementation of the UN General Assembly resolution adopted in December 2012 and further reinforced in 2014, which call for a worldwide ban on female genital mutilation. In particular, the project was developed to promote implementation of laws banning this human rights violation, by strengthening the political and institutional framework in accordance with the provisions of the Resolution in seven West African target countries, namely Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.
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Liberian executive order banning FGM expected to lack enforcement
by Devex Newsletter, Christin Roby, 06 Feb 2018
ABIDJAN [a]— As one of her final acts as Liberian president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf signed an executive order banning the practice of female genital mutilation on girls under the age of 18. While a step in the right direction, women’s rights advocates told Devex that the looseness of the legislation may prove difficult to implement for a new administration.
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UN Women announces first Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa
by ReliefWeb, Maria Sanchez and Zina Alam, 06 Feb 2018
New York—On the occasion of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), 6 February, UN Women announced the appointment of renowned activist Jaha Dukureh of The Gambia as Regional Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women. Ms. Dukureh will dedicate her efforts to support UN Women’s advocacy to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage in Africa, with focus on mobilizing youth.
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Survivors of female genital mutilation say #MeToo
by Reuters, 05 Feb 2018
LONDON - The #MeToo campaign against sexual abuse should include the stories of survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM), activists said ahead of a global day on Tuesday to raise awareness about the internationally condemned ritual. Leyla Hussein, one of the first FGM survivors to come forward in Britain, urged people to use the #MeToo hashtag when posting about the practice on social media on Feb 6, the annual International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM.
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Seeking fair elections, Sierra Leone bans FGM during campaign season
by Reuters, 05 Feb 2018
DAKAR - Sierra Leone has banned female genital mutilation (FGM) until after its March elections to stop candidates buying votes by paying for cutting ceremonies, the government said on Monday. FGM in the West African nation is widely practised as part of girls’ initiation into powerful secret societies - led by women - which wield significant political clout.