POLICY BRIEF
Policy Brief: Getting to Zero Female Genital Mutilation in Africa: Strengthening Human Rights, Accelerating Efforts and Galvanizing Accountability
The 3rd African Girls Summit
Niamey Call to Action and Commitment on Eliminating Harmful Practices
Introduction
The 3rd African Girls’ Summit, bringing together representatives from 35 African Union Member States, more than 100 Young Adolescent Girls and more than 1500 stakeholders – including International Organisations, Civil Society Organisations, Traditional and Religious Leaders; hosted by the Government of the Republic of Niger and the African Union Commission from 16th to 18th November, 2021; under the theme: “Culture, Human Rights and Accountability – Accelerating Elimination of Harmful Practices”, pronounces the following outcome and commitments of the Summit - to be referred to as the “Niamey Call to Action and Commitment on Eliminating Harmful Practices”;
Infographic: Gender equality – Where are we today?
As more families report FGM incidents in Egypt, advocacy intensifies, and a new bill seeks to increase penalties
According to recent data released by Egypt’s National Council for Women (NCW) and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence in 2020, the number of girls and mothers reporting actual or potential incidents of female genital mutilation (FGM) reached 1618 reports[1] between June 2019 and December 2020. In 2005, when the Child Helpline was first established, there were 240[2] reported incidents.
The rise in the number of reported cases of FGM is seen as a promising sign that the country’s efforts to raise awareness is starting to work.
