Saturday, April 19, 2025

Dakar, Senegal

Eleven girls aged between five months and five years were collectively excised on February 15 in southern Senegal, three UN agencies denounced on Tuesday April 15, expressing alarm at the persistence of these “harmful practices” in the country and calling for a “collective response”.

The events took place in the department of Goudomp, in the Sédhiou region of Casamance (south), according to the joint statement issued by Unicef, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women.

“This is intolerable and inexcusable. It is imperative that we take our responsibilities to ensure that no girl suffers this fate again, and to achieve our common goal of ending female genital mutilation in Senegal,” said Tracey Hebert-Seck, UNFPA representative in Senegal, in the statemen l.

“Although no arrests have been made to date, the three agencies of the United Nations system commend the work of law enforcement, child protection and health services, as well as the commitment of those who have denounced these crimes and helped identify the victims,” the statement continued.

The three agencies “are alarmed that these harmful practices continue to be perpetrated with the complicity of certain members of the community, despite the efforts made by the government”.

They call for “strict application of the laws in force” in Senegal, a West African country that played a “pioneering role in the region by adopting a law in 1999” that criminalizes, among other things, “the perpetration, instigation, preparation and/or assistance of an act of female genital mutilation (FGM)”.

“It is difficult to understand why such a serious violation of girls’ fundamental rights should take place in a country that is a pioneer in the fight against FGM,” said Arlette Mvondo, UN Women’s representative in Senegal, quoted in the press release.

“Such a step backwards is unthinkable, given that excision harms the physical integrity, health and future of girls, and compromises their dignity. Putting an end to this practice is a necessity to guarantee equal opportunities and respect for human rights”, stresses Ms. Mvondo.

In Senegal, nearly two million girls and women have undergone FGM, and 12.9% of girls under the age of 15 are excised, according to the UN.

The three agencies, calling for a “collective leap forward”, say they are counting on “the government’s commitment to prosecute the perpetrators and accomplices and enforce the law”.

Humaniterre with AFP