Mrs. Mubarak launches strong initiative against FGM
Egypt-Regional, Culture, 6/23/2003

The practice of female circumcision which is better known as female genital mutilation (FGM), is a thorny social issue, Egypt's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak told a Cairo conference Saturday.

Addressing the opening session of the Arab-African conference of Legislation and Female Circumcision Mrs. Mubarak said that this particular issue is very sensitive and private to little girls.

It has a very negative impact on girl's psychological and physic' health, Mrs Mubarak said.

This impact will reflect negative on the behaviour of a girl, who will be a wife and a mother when she grows up, she said.

Despite the accomplishments that have been achieved in the fields of human rights, women's rights, children's rights and manpower development, this practice is still widespread, Mrs. Mubarak said.

It is an alarming issue that poses a challenge that must be confronted, she told the participants who represent Arab, African and European countries, as well as international organisations.

Since this practice has not been talked about for a long period of time, adopting clear and necessary social policies and legislation to combat it came late, Mrs Mubarak added.

The debate about this social practice at international gatherings, in which Egypt has taken part, has played a positive role because it has encouraged women to break the barrier of silence and talk about it, she said.

Women have become fully aware that this practice is a form of unreasonable violence against female children and a violation of their basic human rights.

A girl has the right to preserve her dignity and the privacy of her body, Mrs Mubarak told the conference.

She said that she had been paying close attention to improving the (over all) status of the Egyptian female child and ensuring that she enjoys her civil rights.

This attention, Mrs. Mubarak continues, had been expanded to protect the female child against harmful inherited practices such as circumcision and marrying her off at an early age.

These practices, which have no sound health, social or religious basis are performed either intentionally on unintentionally by the parents on the grounds that they are protecting their daughters, she said.

Therefore, the purpose of this conference is to debate the legislation and legal mechanisms that should be available to combat this practice, Mrs. Mubarak said.

However, she stressed, the passing of laws would not put an end to the practice of female circumcision.

Enforcing these laws, as well as their full acceptance by parents and members of society are the only means to end this practice, Mrs. Mubarak said.

ln order to achieve this end, she added, Egypt would launch a four pronged initiative.

The first component, she explained, deals with the role of laws and legislation.

ÊÊÊ The second component focuses on the roles, which school education, social, health and cultural education can play in making people more aware of the negative and harmful effects this practice.

Mrs. Mubarak said that the third component would deal with the role which the media can play in spreading the culture of the female child's rights.

The local media, she said, already started to play this role.

The fourth component stresses the role of non-governmental organization (NGOs) in designing programmes or mechanism that are needed to spread the culture of children's rights nationwide, in collaboration with the National Childhood and Motherhood Council, she added.

It is hoped that participants of the Arab-African Conference on, Legislation against Female Circumcision will discuss and study the available laws and mechanisms that will help us reach our goal, Mrs. Mubarak concluded.

Following Mrs. Mubarak's opening speech, the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi addressed the conference.

The head of the highest religious authority told the conference that there was no text in the Holy Quran, Prophet Muhammad's sayings or traditions that called for female circumcision.

Female circumcision Sheikh Tantawi said is a medical matter in which doctors can say whether it is a healthy or harmful practice.

Following Sheikh Tantawi's address, Father Moussa, on behalf d Pope Shenouda III, delivered a speech in which he said that every day more than 6,000 African girls would suffer from the traumatic experience of genital mutilation.

It is a painful experience from which the girls suffer great pain health risks and horror, Father Moussa told the conference.

He confirmed that female circumcision had no base in Christianity as the Holy Bible never mentioned or ordered it.

"We need to exert religious efforts and take a firm stance on this harm and rejected practice, which must be stopped," Father Moussa said.

He applauded a 1996 Administrative Court ruling that banned state hospitals and clinics from carrying out female circumcision..

Previous Stories:
  Mrs. Mubarak opens Arab-African conference legislation, female circumcision   (6/21/2003)
  Mrs. Mubarak announces start of women for peace movement   (6/17/2003)
  ALECSO thanks Mrs. Mubarak for supporting Arab reading for all project   (6/14/2003)

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