Africa-Press – Angola. Representative Luísa Damião considered this Tuesday, in Johannesburg, South Africa, female genital mutilation as a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights.
The Angolan parliamentarian was speaking at the Commission’s debate on human and social development and special programs of the SADC Parliamentary Forum that addressed “The eradication of female genital mutilation in the region”.
He stated that this practice causes significant damage to the health, physical, psychological and sexual integrity of women and girls.
Luísa Damião, also a member of the Parliamentary Forum of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), where she is part of the Commission for Human and Social Development and Special Programs, reinforced that this practice is harmful to sexual and reproductive health and a “violation of medical ethics ”.
He highlighted that it is also a form of “gender-based violence”, which should not be addressed in isolation from other forms of violence against women and girls, or other harmful practices such as early and forced marriages.
In her opinion, to end female genital mutilation, it is necessary to attack the root causes of gender inequality and work towards the social and economic empowerment of women.
The deputy defended zero tolerance for female genital mutilation with the presentation of legislative initiatives and the increase in education and awareness campaigns in communities.
He stressed that this campaign must also involve the media and social partners.
He highlighted the need for urgent investments to achieve the target established in the Sustainable Development Goals to eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030.
Angola
The parliamentarian reported that in Angola, Presidential Decree 222/13, which approves the National Policy for Gender Equality and Equity, defends the human rights of women and girls, highlighting that female genital mutilation is prohibited in the country.
He informed that as a form of prevention, Angola criminalizes this practice in light of its Penal Code.
He made it known that there are monitoring mechanisms to report these harmful practices that constitute an extreme manifestation of inequalities between genders, which must be combatted.
The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is marked on February 6th. The date was implemented through Resolution 67/146 of the United Nations General Assembly, on December 20, 2012.
The objective is to raise awareness among civil society about the eradication of this practice, which harms the physical and psychological health of many women and girls around the world.
Remember that the fifth UN Sustainable Development Goal is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls to end this practice.
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