Brussels, 12/12/2002 (Agence Europe) - As part of the "Stop FGM: international campaign for eradicating the practice of female genital mutilation 2002/2003", launched together with eight African NGOs and the European Network for the Elimination of Harmful Practices, the international associations, Aidos and No Peace without Justice (the Secretary General of which is the Lista Bonino MEP, Gianfranco Dell'Alba), a conference was organised for 10-11 December in Brussels under the title of "Stop Female Genital Mutilation". At this event, an appeal was launched to fight against the custom which "attacks the rights and dignity of millions of women in the world". The appeal has been sponsored by MEPs Mary Banotti, Emma Bonino, Anna Karamanou, Elena Valenciano, as well as Rashida Al Hamadani (Director General of the National Women's Management Committee, Yemen), Mame Bassine B. Niang (Minister-Commissioner for Human rights in Senegal) and Edna Adan Ismail (Minister of Family Affairs and Social Development in Somaliland).
There are around 130 million women in the world today who have suffered female genital mutilation, a practice that is widespread in 28 African countries and certain Asian countries. Every year 2 million girls and young women are victims of this practice. Signatories to this appeal are mainly requesting: 1) Heads of State, governments and parliamentarians in countries where FGM is practised to guarantee respect for the rights of women and girls and to introduce legislation that will consider FGM as a violation of fundamental human rights; 2) that governments and parliamentarians in host countries harmonise the legislative framework on FGM and consider the possibility of granting residency permits and protection to victims of this practice and recognising the rights of asylum for these women, young women and small girls who are at risk of FGM.
MEP and former Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Emma Bonino explained to the press, "The problem of FGM is a mainly African problem which requires African solutions…the rights of women must be interpreted in their widest sense and not limited by geographical borders". The President of the Italian Association for Women and Development (Aidos), Daniela Colombo asserted that, "this campaign has added value to everything that happens in Africa and Western countries". Ms Colombo added that a website had been set up (http://www.stopfgm.org ) in order to put all information on the subject onto the network. Edna Adan Ismail (Somaliland) explained that the objective was to put a stop to the practice, "It's an international problem, your hospitals are full of our women and our children who suffer from such mutilations", she warned. The representative of the Nigerian Women's Association TAMWA appealed for an awareness campaign amongst men to get them to say no to these mutilations. The Ambassador Moushira Khattab (Egypt) stressed that, "There is a violation of the rights of these little girls who are without a voice…The medicalisation of the problem just like the religious approach to it has turned out to be ineffective. Only a social and cultural approach can bring results". According to Ms Khattab, "the Commission has to play an active role in the implementation of this apparatus but this campaign must not be a European campaign imported into Africa". Mame Bassine B. Niang (Senegal), stated that, "this campaign must be carried out like those which ended the death penalty".