Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a deeply entrenched cultural tradition and, in communities where it is practiced, it is a key element in determining a woman’s societal role. The practice thrives in an environment of silence and secrecy that makes it difficult to break existing customs; few dare to speak out against FGM, and the practice develops as a self-reinforcing social convention. NPWJ’s strategy aims to break the culture of silence, build the strategic capacity of anti-FGM advocates and promote the law as a positive and lasting tool for behavioural and social change to contribute to turning the tide of social norms against FGM.
The overall objective of NPWJ’s FGM program is to develop a political, legal and social environment contributing to changing attitudes and behaviours on FGM and favourable to its abandonment, in the context of the promotion and protection of women’s and girls’ rights. Specific objectives include: (1) to create political will in favour of ratification and implementation of the African Union’s Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa (also referred to as the ‘Maputo Protocol’) in the target countries, to recognise FGM as a human rights violation; (2) to break the culture of silence surrounding FGM, so as to weaken the self-reinforcing social convention at the basis of its persistence; (3) to build the capacity of FGM abandonment advocates within both Government and civil society, so as to enable the development of effective FGM abandonment strategies; and (4) to build technical capacity to develop legislative measures prohibiting FGM, so that the law demonstrates and consolidates a formal, explicit and lasting commitment of state structures against FGM, contributing to turning the tide of social norms, as well as providing legal tools for the protection of women and girls willing to challenge the social convention.
In countries with a high prevalence of FGM that have shown positive signals from national leaders and civil society activists, the FGM program aims to (a) lobby and engage national political leaders, as well as cultural, religious and traditional leaders; (b) organise events to demonstrate public commitment against FGM; (c) conduct training and capacity building activities; and (d) undertake legislative capacity building and technical assistance.
NPWJ FGM work targets Governments, state structures, political leaders, government officials and legislators, in-country donor and development agencies, members of civil society, NGOs, CBOs, professional associations, and opinion-makers, including the media and traditional, religious and community leaders in the target countries and other countries in the region. Beneficiaries include NGOs, CBOs, women’s groups, children’s rights groups, parliamentarians, professional bodies and other formal and informal civil society groups, whose participation will ultimately benefit women and girls affected by FGM.
Our experience is that an explicit, consistent, clearly defined and forcefully stated position can be of great consequence. An increase in capacity for strategic planning and increased cooperation between FGM abandonment advocates in government and in civil society could prevent ineffective or even counterproductive methodologies, that fail to address FGM in the broader framework of the promotion and protection of women’s rights, and therefore can have -and have had- negative consequences. A clear example has been the exclusive emphasis on the unhygienic conditions and harmful medical consequences of FGM, to the extent that have been providing mutilators with sterilised instruments. This has resulted in its increasing “medicalisation”, particularly among emerging urbanised social classes, that might have otherwise led the way to its abandonment, so that “clean” forms of FGM have been maintained among urban and middle-class women, depriving society of potential positive non-mutilated role models, resulting in considerable set-backs in the progress towards abandonment of the practice.
NPWJ FGM work is designed to provide a framework within which individual initiatives by various actors complement and reinforce one another; and, through its focus on the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, contributes to the awareness, promotion and protection of a broader range of women’s and girls’ rights. NPWJ FGM work seeks to attain sustainability through increased political will to adopt effective legislation promoting women’s and girls’ rights; more effective strategies involving both civil society and state structures; enhanced professional and advocacy capacity of FGM abandonment advocates and a better-informed donor community in the target countries; public commitments by political leaders; and the development of a political, legal and social environment favourable to FGM abandonment.
