WGNRR Commends Nigeria For Signing Into Law The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, Prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation Or Cutting

The Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) welcomes the decision made by Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, the outgoing President of Nigeria to sign into law the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which prohibits, among other things, female circumcision or female genital mutilation (FGM) and other harmful traditional practices.[1]

As a global network of more than 1000 members worldwide advocating, promoting and defending sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all people, we commend this fundamental step taken by Nigeria towards fulfilling the rights of women to bodily integrity, bodily autonomy, freedom from gender-based violence and discrimination, among other human rights.

The practice of FGM, circumcision, or cutting violates a person’s right to health, security and physical integrity, and the right to be free from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,[2] as recognized by Human Rights Bodies such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).[3]  Moreover, when States fail to recognize sexual and reproductive rights, including the right to live free from all forms of FGM, circumcision, or cutting, as established in the Protocol of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (2003) (The Maputo Protocol)[4] they perpetuate and condone institutional violence towards women.

The decision of the outgoing Nigerian government to outlaw these procedures is a huge step forward for women not only in Nigeria, but in Africa as a whole, as it embodies a strong commitment to respect, protect, and fulfill women and girls’ rights to live free from all forms of violence, including all procedures that intentionally alter or injure their genital organs for non-medical reasons. We congratulate the Nigerian women´s movement for their advocacy work towards making this bill possible, the Nigerian Legislative Advocacy Coalition on Violence Against Women (LACVAW) for pushing the bill forward, the Nigerian Senate for approving the bill, and the outgoing President for signing it into law. Nonetheless, we also recognize that there is still a long way to go for women and girls in Nigeria in relation to their ability to fully exercise their sexual and reproductive rights- specially the right to bodily autonomy- and freedom from violence and discrimination.

While recognizing this important victory, WGNRR would like to caution that considerable efforts and vigilance will be needed to ensure full implementation of the law and meaningful change at the ground level. We wish to remind the incoming president, Mr. Muhammadu Buhari and other incoming Nigerian officials, that any law without effective implementation and accountability mechanisms remains a dead letter.

We therefore urge Mr. Buhari and the incoming Nigerian government to:

• Effectively monitor and supervise the implementation of the provisions of the Act;

• Integrate preventive and educational programmes on Female Genital Mutilation into national Violence Against Women (VAW) eradication strategies;

• Provide comprehensive and youth-friendly information about the law to the entire population, without discrimination, and take steps to limit the misinformation relating to the law and eradicate any stigma women and girls may face when speaking out against FGM in their communities;

• Fund and revise the training curriculum for healthcare professionals in order to provide training and facilities for the rehabilitation of women and girls who were subjected to FGM or cutting, focusing on their psychosexual counselling and maternal care during pregnancy and childbirth;

• Ensure that State’s judicial policy and programming efforts in relation to sexual and reproductive rights are respected by traditional and cultural institutions that are against women and girl´s fundamental rights. The sexual and reproductive rights and dignity of all must be guaranteed, and should not be subject to constraints imposed by traditional authorities;

• Engage and partner with civil society to develop and integrate into the educational curriculum a “gender sensitive” approach that addresses the harmful perceptions of gender roles in young persons and eradicate the societal norms that encourage the practice;

• Call on and encourage other countries in Africa and worldwide to review their laws and policies to advance women and girls’ SRHR, including the prohibition of female genital mutilation, circumcision, and cutting.

 In light of this past May 28, the International Day of Action for Women’s Health, we urge both the government of Nigeria and that of countries worldwide to fully eradicate all forms gender based violence, especially all forms of FGM, circumcision, and cutting, and ensure a comprehensive and rights-based approach to women’s health, accounting for the full spectrum of women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health issues, needs, and rights.

[1] Daily Independent, 25 May 2015, “Nigeria: New Nigerian Law Outlaws Female Circumcision, Forceful Ejection of Widows.”

[2] World Health Organization (2014), Female Genital Mutilation.

[3] UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), CEDAW General Recommendation No. 14: Female Circumcision, 1990, A/45/38 and Corrigendum, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/453882a30.html [accessed 30 May 2015]; See also 15 years of The United Nations Special Rapporteur On Violence Against Women, Its Causes and Consequences http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/women/rapporteur/docs/15YearReviewofVAWMandate.pdf

[4]Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, http://www.achpr.org/files/instruments/women-protocol/achpr_instr_proto_women_eng.pdf