“International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation”: NPWJ appeals to all States to enact and enforce legislation banning this human rights violation

6 February 2016

Today marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, a day when we reaffirm our strong commitment to bring an end to one of the most serious and wide-scale violation of the rights of women and girls. On this occasion, No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) and the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty (NRPTT), in partnership with local NGOs and the Inter-African Committee for Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC), and with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, are organising a series of events in the Gambia, Guinea and Mauritania, targeting youth, communities, parliaments, governments and the public at large. The purpose of these events is to provide support to all activists working from the grass-roots to the policy level and advocating for clear and effective national legislation to unequivocally ban FGM in their respective countries.

Declaration by Alvilda Jablonko, Director for Gender and Human Rights of No Peace Without Justice:

“On this International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, No Peace without Justice (NPWJ) and the Nonviolent Radical Party Transnational and Transparty (NRPTT) want to extend a special salute and recognition to all the outstanding individuals and organizations who battle this human rights violation and extreme form of discrimination and violence against women and girls, which three million girls worldwide are at risk of undergoing every year.

“The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had taken a first strong stance on this issue on 20 December 2012 by adopting the Resolution 67/146, which was hailed by the Ban FGM campaign, a coalition of African and European NGOs created thanks to the initiative of No Peace Without Justice. In December 2014, the UNGA Resolution 69/150 renewed this commitment, with an increased number of sponsoring countries and strengthened language.

“As called for by these breakthrough resolutions, NPWJ and the NRPTT have constantly stressed that the adoption and the enforcement of explicit and effective legislation, backed by sanctions, banning all forms of FGM are fundamental and crucial factors to successfully combat this form of gender-based violence, protect its victims and end impunity. In addition to holding perpetrators to account, legislation protects and provides the legal tools for women and girls willing to defy the social pressures of tradition and reject FGM, and also establishes the legal environment that legitimizes and facilitates the advocacy and educational work of local anti-FGM activists and women’s rights groups.

“On this important day when we reaffirm our commitment to stamp out FGM, it is also important to note that the majority of countries worldwide still lack legislation to protect women and girls from this human rights violation; where laws have been enacted, political will to implement them effectively has not always followed. NPWJ and the NRPTT appeal to all states in which FGM is perpetrated to enact and enforce legislation to unequivocally prohibit FGM as a criminal offence as well as to provide strong and clear support for the innumerable human rights groups, women’s associations and individual advocates that fight a daily battle to ensure that the women and girls of tomorrow will be free from the threat of FGM”.

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