The Parliamentary Workshop on “The law against FGM and its Applicability”, conducted in Djibouti by No Peace Without Justice in partnership with the National Union of Djibouti Women (UNFD) and under the auspices of the Presidency of the Parliament of the Republic of Djibouti, concluded yesterday with the adoption of a final declaration.
The purpose of the two-day meeting, which started on 8 October and saw the participation of parliamentarians, civil society activists and representatives of the major Djiboutian NGOs, as well as members of the local diplomatic corps and representatives of UN agencies, was to discuss the Djiboutian law against FGM, and the limitations that affect its application.
The workshop was opened by Ms. Degmo Mohamed, Secretary General of UNFD, Gianfranco Dell’Alba, Secretary General of No Peace Without Justice and Aloys Kamuraguye, UNICEF Representative in Djibouti. The President of the National Assembly, Idriss Arnaoud Ali, officially opened the session, confirming the Parliament’s commitment to the fight against FGM and its intention to host this seminar as a further stimulus for the Djiboutian Government in implementing an effective strategy for the eradication of the practice.
Participants included Ms. Halo Aboubaker, Director of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, and Mr. Douhour Mohamed, Secretary General of the Ministry for Religious Affairs, who presented the current legal provisions to contrast the practice of FGM in Djibouti. Mohamed Abdella, Magistrate of the Supreme Court, and Maki Omar Abdoulkader, Prosecutor of the Republic, then spoke on Article 333 of the Penal Code of Djibouti, which prohibits FGM, and highlighted the limitations of the law, the difficulty of its application and, indeed, the non-application of the law in the thirteen years since it was passed. The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss an overview of legislative and legal measures adopted in other African countries as well as in western countries affected by the practice, which were presented by Ms. Diaratou Kourouma, Representative of the Inter-African Committee on harmful traditional practices, and Ms. Nathalie Gilson, Member of the Brussels Regional Parliament.
The second day of the workshop, which was chaired by Degmo Mohamed, Secretary General of UNFD and Gianfranco Dell’Alba, Secretary General of NPWJ, was mainly dedicated to debate and discussion among the participants, who were mostly parliamentarians, on possible solutions and amendments to Article 333 to increase its effectiveness and ensure its full applicability.
The seminar concluded with the unanimous adoption of an appeal that will be submitted by the President of the Djiboutian National Assembly to insert without delay the discussion on the modification of Article 333 in the agenda of the Parliament.
For more information, contact Alvilda Jablonko, Coordinator of the FGM Program, on ajablonko@npwj.org or Nicola Giovannini on ngiovannini@npwj.org or +32 (0)2 548-3914.
- Visit the dedicated page on our website
- The seminar has been recorded by Radio Radicale and is be available at the following link.
