The Ministry of Women Affairs and the National Women Council and Bureau, with support from the UNICEF country programme 2006-2011, recently conducted a daylong review on situational analysis on female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C).
The study, conducted by Africonsult Group, was supervised by a national steering committee tasked to internally review submission by the consultants.
In his address on the occasion held at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi, Omar Kandeh, deputy director of Women’s Bureau, says the study takes into account stakeholders, coverage of best practices, perspectives, approaches, strategies and impact of existing interventions.
"There is sufficient indication that violence against women remains a significance problem in all societies and FGM/C is one of the severe manifestations," Mr Kandeh said.
"It is a harmful traditional practice and a form of violence that directly infringes upon women and children's right to physical, psychological and social wellbeing."
He describe FGM /C as an act, which comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genital or other injuries to the female genital organs whether for culture or other non-therapeutic reasons.
According to him, any approaches that aim to end FGM/C must incorporate a holistic strategy that addresses the multitude of factors that perpetuate it. "This research therefore, aims at providing useful information on the occurrence and persistence of FGM/C and its related social and cultural repercussions," he says.
He further revealed that the scope of the study included the documentation of the various interventions of different actors, their strategies, coverage, impact and monitoring and evaluation systems for a determination of best practices.
"It was also geared towards mapping of the situation of national policy and laws of FGM/C and national mechanisms for coordination, and concrete recommendations," he noted, saying that all these are based on the findings of the study for future actions and the research report to be published and disseminated to the wider audience.
