13 February 2018 - NPWJ News Digest on FGM & women's rights

Articles

Philippines: Rodrigo Duterte orders soldiers to shoot female rebels 'in the vagina'
by The Guardian, 13 Feb 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte has been branded a misogynist and “macho-facist” after he ordered soldiers to shoot female communist rebels in the vagina. In a speech to over 200 former communist soldiers in Malacañang last week, the Philippines president gave a directive of what to do with female guerrilla fighters. ‘There’s a new order coming from the mayor, ‘We will not kill you. We will just shoot you in the vagina,’ ” said Duterte. He went on to say that without their vaginas, women would be “useless”.

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Africa: 'No Time to Waste' in Ending FGM
by All Africa, Will Higginbotham and Tharanga Yakupitiyage, 07 Feb 2018

United Nations — More than 200 million women around the world have experienced some kind of female genital mutilation (FGM) and more could be at risk, a UN agency said. Though the practice has declined in prevalence globally, alarming new figures from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) predict that any progress could be off-set as a further 68 million girls face the risk of FGM by 2030.

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Gambia: 2nd International Forum On FGM/C Begins
by All Africa, Abdoulai G. Dibba, 07 Feb 2018

The Wassu Foundation and its research center Wassu Gambia Kafo (WGK), have organized the II International Forum on FGM/C in The Gambia under the theme: Exploring Strategies and Good Practices - From Local to Global - Evidence Into Action. The meeting, which was scheduled from the 5th to 6th February, started at a local Hotel in Brufut and had the support of the European Union, the Government of the Republic of The Gambia, the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

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Somaliland issues fatwa banning female genital mutilation
by Reuters, 07 Feb 2018

NEW DELHI - Somaliland has issued a fatwa, or religious edict, banning female genital mutilation (FGM) - and paving the way for the breakaway region to pass legislation against the internationally condemned practice, a senior official said on Wednesday. The fatwa from the ministry of religious affairs on Tuesday said those who perform FGM would face punishment, and victims would be eligible for compensation. It did not provide details on the severity of punishment, or the amount of compensation.

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