Bamako, Mali, 02/22 - A sub-regional conference on female genital mutilations opened here
Tuesday with over 200 delegates from nine countries discussing the harmful traditional practice common across West Africa and neighbouring regions.
Convened on the theme "Female Genital Mutilations and the Implementation of the Maputo Protocol," the forum draws participants from Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Cote d`Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, Togo and Mali.
It is organised by the Malian Ministry for the Promotion of Children and Family and the `No Peace Without Justice` non-governmental organisation. Participants will discuss, among other issues, the legal and political aspects related to female circumcision and socio-cultural aspects of the practice. The female circumcision is common in several African countries, including host Mali where some 90 percent of girls undergo the practice.
In a bid to combat the phenomenon, whose consequences are often hazardous for females, the Malian government has set up a national action committee for the abandonment of excision and a national programme on the fight against excision (PNLE).
