The annual report highlights some of the achievements, challenges and best practices for the abandonment of FGM/C and emphasizes the importance of continued partnerships with governments, media, civil society organizations and religious leaders.
In 2009 a core feature of the programme’s implementation was the fostering of partnerships: with government authorities both at the local and national levels, religious authorities and local religious leaders, the media, civil society organizations of women and in the education and reproductive health sectors. In 2009, these partnerships helped to disseminate knowledge, empower communities and foster an enabling environment for collective social change towards a shift in the FGM/C social norm. By mainstreaming FGM/C into the reproductive health sector, the programme has also contributed to an improvement in the wellbeing of girls and women already subjected to the proactice.
In 2009, the Joint Programme began working closely with the World Health Organization to ensure that the medical profession openly supports the abandonment of FGM/C. The issue of medicalization of the practice has been identified as a problem in six countries covered by the Joint Programme, and strategies are being put in place to enforce the physicians’ code of ethics: “Do no harm.”
To read the full report in English, please click here
To read the full report in French, please click here