National Strategy Female Genital Mutilation (Fgm/C) Abandonment in Eritrea

Abstract

Introduction

For more than a decade, total Abandonment of female genital Mutilation (FGM/C) has been a priority for The State of Eritrea.  UN Agencies (UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO and others) in addition to the Local and International NGOs have also been involved in the movement that has brought a momentum and energized the national attention to the fight against the practice of FGM/C.  However, during this time, there is a lack of a national strategy that provide structured framework for the Ministry of Health (MOH), its partners and all stakeholders involved in combating FGM/C. In order to develop a national strategy the MOH has taken the initiative and the lead with support from UNICEF and UNFPA and assigned two consultants to come out with this document.

Background

FGM/C is practiced in more than 28 African countries, in pockets of Asia such as Indonesia, and in parts of the Middle East including Egypt, Oman, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. FGM/C has been reported in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, and the United States, occurring predominantly among immigrants from countries where FGM/C is practiced.  An estimated 135 million women and girls worldwide have undergone FGM/C, and two million women and girls a year are at risk of being cut.

Result

The draft strategy is comprised of several sections in addition to the background information; these sections highlighted the current FGM/C status and findings in Eritrea with emphasis on effective and ongoing projects or activities. The section entitled; proposed strategic course of actions provides specific activities and pathway that would help the implementers to set their priorities at different levels: National, Regional and Community or grassroots. The critical assumptions listed indicate the situation or the platform on which program implementers build or design their actions and implementation plans.  The key lessons learned on FGM/C Abandonment experiences from other countries are useful hints and making use of would save a considerable amount of time and assist the programmers and implementers to avoid a number of pitfalls and repetition of unnecessary practices. 

In the section of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) for FGM/C Abandonment a set of process and impact indicators are listed for the different levels of the National Strategy. The final section of funding and Leveraging of Resources gives a rough estimate of the budget needed for a course of 5 years and the potential sources of funding.