First ladies from seven west African countries gather here Monday for a conference on ways to end female circumcision, a widespread practise in the region despite efforts to end it.
The three-day meeting will "discuss transboundary practices of circumcision in the region to better fight against the scourge," presidential spokesman Saidou Ouedraogo said.
Six Years After It was Banned, Female Circumcision Continues Unabated in Egypt
Girls are being circumcised in Egypt despite a ban on female genital mutilation, imposed about six years ago.
First ladies from the west African countries of Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Togo and Burkina Faso are due to participate, he said.
Female circumcision, or female genital mutilation (FGM), is common in some 30 African countries despite major awareness-raising campaigns and ever-tougher laws against the practise.
Burkina Faso is a case in point. Nearly half the country's women are circumcised according to a national committee on the issue.
The tradition continues despite new legislation stipulating prison sentences against FGM practitioners and their accomplices.
Source: AFP
SRM
Burkina Faso is a case in point. Nearly half the country's women are circumcised according to a national committee on the issue.
The tradition continues despite new legislation stipulating prison sentences against FGM practitioners and their accomplices.
Source: AFP
SRM
Norway Couple Accused Over Genital Mutilation of Their Daughters
Norwegian police accused a Gambian couple on Friday of subjecting five daughters to genital mutilation in the country's first-ever case against the illegal act of female circumcision.
 New Sierra Leone Government Vows to Ban Female CircumcisionFemale circumcision, a popular practice in the West African country will soon be banned by the new Sierra Leone government. |
Female Circumcision Claims Yet Another Girl's Life in Egypt
A 13-year-old Egyptian girl has died during an illegal operation to mutilate her genitalia, the Al-Masri Al-Yom daily reported on Saturday.
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