Cameroon vows to intensify fight against female genital mutilation

 

Cameroon’s Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family on Friday vowed to mount a campaign to end the scourge of female genital mutilation (FGM), calling on the citizens to act towards ending it.

In a statement to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Marie-Therese Abena Ondoa urged a concerted effort to end the practice, stressing that to eradicate it must be addressed through a national crusade from the national to the community levels.

“The government of the republic sees this (FGM) as an infringement of human rights. The government calls for collective efforts to stop this outdated practice,” Ondoa said during activities to mark the day in the capital, Yaounde.

“The latest studies in the field, I must admit they are quite old, point to a prevalence of 1.4 per cent nationally and 20 per cent in focus areas,” Ondoa added and expressed concerns that security challenges is some parts of the country have probably caused a rise in the archaic cultural practice.

The International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM is celebrated globally every Feb. 6 as part of the United Nation’s efforts to eradicate FGM which is one of the ancient cultures practiced in some parts of Africa.