Guinea launches campaign to end female genital mutilation

Guinea's Prime Minister Mamady Youla on Wednesday launched a national campaign aimed at ending female genital mutilation (FGM).

Speaking during the launch ceremony in Conakry, the prime minister urged all social actors in the country, including parents, to fully support the campaign to end this backward practice.

Youla reiterated the government's commitment to prioritize the fight against FGM.

Guinea's Minister for Social Action, Promotion of Women and Children, Sanaba Kaba recalled the efforts made to end FGM in Guinea, a country that ranks first in West Africa and second globally after Somalia for a high number of girls subjected to the practice.

"This campaign will be considered a success if it can lead to cultural change, and reinforce the need to maintain the physical integrity of young girls," the minister said.

The campaign will be carried out through sensitization meetings and community mobilization activities on the subject of excision.

In addition, Kaba said, there will be radio broadcasts to pass the awareness message as well as workshops to enhance the capacities of actors involved in the anti-FGM fight.

Seraphine Wakana, UN Resident Coordinator in Guinea, decried the fact that despite efforts made to end excision, the situation of female genital mutilation in Guinea remains worrying, with close to 97 percent of women aged between 15 to 49 years having been subjected to the practice.

Guinea has adopted both national and international legal instruments for the protection and promotion of women and young girls.

The government is therefore determined to apply them to guarantee "respect for physical and moral integrity and eliminate all forms of violence against women." Enditem