Fight against FGM in Boké, Conakry and Kindia
UNICEF and the Swiss National Committee for UNICEF are supporting the Ministry of Children in the fight against female genital mutilation in Basse-Guinée
- Français
- English
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a violation of the rights of children, women and girls, causing suffering, infection, incontinence, risk of sterility, complications during childbirth and damage to mental health. Unfortunately, the practice is becoming increasingly medicalized and performed at younger and younger ages in Guinea.
Although there has been a slight decrease in female genital mutilation among children aged 0-14 in Guinea, from 45.5% in 2012 to 39% in 2018, this reduction is still insufficient. The situation varies from region to region, with a slight decrease in five regions and an increase in three regions of Basse-Guinée, including Boké (+3.8%), Conakry (+3.1%) and Kindia (+2.7%).
In order to put an end to the persistence of FGM in these three regions, UNICEF Guinea, with the support of the Swiss National Committee for UNICEF, supports the Ministry for the Promotion of Women, Children and Vulnerable Persons through the project "Contribution to the abandonment of the practice of FGM in the regions of Boké, Kindia and Conakry".
This 3-year project, financed by 1,200,000 USD, includes:
- The participation of associative structures for children, adolescents and women.
- Support for social work, health, education, security, justice and religious services to provide quality care for girls at risk and/or survivors of FGM.
- Introducing new communication technologies.
- Supporting local councils to ensure that the abandonment of FGM is integrated and prioritized in the design and implementation of local development plans.
"I'm going to follow this project and have frequent discussions with the communities. Because it's unacceptable for the counters to be in the red in Basse-Guinée," says Aicha Nanette Conté, Minister for the Promotion of Women, Children and Vulnerable Persons.
"We, the governors of the three regions and all the prefectural and municipal officials, solemnly pledge our total commitment to promoting the abandonment of the knife, which is a dangerous threat to the health of our girls and exposes them to an uncertain future as mothers," said Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité, governor of the administrative region of Kindia, at the launch of the project in Forécariah.
