British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks at the 'Girl Summit 2014' in Walworth Academy on July 22, 2014 in London, England. At the one-day summit the government has announced that parents will face prosecution if they fail to prevent their daughters suffering female genital mutilation (FGM).
Hiiraan Online
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
London, UK (HOL) - At the London Girl Summit today hosted by the British government and UNICEF, a new package of action and funding to protect millions of girls both at home and abroad from FGM and forced marriage was announced by the Prime Minister, David Cameron and two key members of his cabinet with direct responsibilities for these two issues.
According to the British government the Girl Summit was aimed at “mobilising domestic and international efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and child and forced marriage within a generation.” The Summit brought together both domestic and international governmental and non-governmental actors whose current and future actions as well as cooperation will be crucial to tackling both FGM and forced marriage of girls across the world.
The British government estimates that there are up to 137,000 women and girls living within the UK who could have undergone FGM. Under new legal measures announced today parents will be prosecuted if they do not stop their daughters from undergoing FGM both at home and abroad.
David Cameron, whose government pledged both political, legal and financial support for the eradication of FGM and forced marriages of girls within a generation both at home and abroad, encouraged joint partnership and cross professional working to make eradicating both issues possible in his key note address to the audience at the Summit. He argued that all girls have the right to live freely from violence and coercion, without being forced into marriage or the lifelong physical and psychological effects of female genital mutilation.
During his speech at the Summit, Cameron described the existence of FGM as a practice as a “standing rebuke to our world.”
"It is absolutely clear about what we are trying to achieve. It is such a simple but noble and good ambition and that is to outlaw the practices of female genital mutilation and early forced marriage, to outlaw them everywhere for everyone within this generation," stated the British Prime Minister. Cameron argued that both FGM and forced marriages are total “violations of girls’ rights.” He went on to conclude that these two issues were important to address at this time by his government because they are a “preventable evil” and that it is possible to eradicate both with the “right combination of effort, political will and hard work.” Mr. Cameron made clear that this was not something Britain alone could achieve without international collaboration and support.
Both Theresa May, the Home Secretary and Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary reiterated their leaders commitment and urged coordinated global action to tackle both FGM and the early marriage of girls.
The International Development Secretary, Justine Greening said:
“When a girl cannot decide for herself when to marry and have children or is subject to female genital mutilation it’s not just a tragedy for her, it’s a disaster for development. Child and forced marriage and female genital mutilation rob girls of a childhood and the chance to reach their full potential.
Many countries, communities and families across the world are now saying no to these practices and the UK is determined to play its part. The Girl Summit 2014 is a chance for the international community to work together to end child marriage and FGM within a generation.”
The International Development Secretary stated his government’s commitment to addressing FGM abroad, including in countries like Somalia where it is prevalent, will come in the form of aid and cooperation.
Theresa May expressed pride at the proactive approach her country has taken to stamp out both FGM and forced marriage but admitted that her government had to do more at home and abroad if it wanted to end both harmful practices.
"FGM and forced marriage are incredibly harmful practices, and it is terrible to think about the number of women and girls in the UK who have been subjected to these crimes."
UNICEF, which co-hosted the Summit with the British government, said that its research identified more than 130 million girls and women as experiencing some form of FGM in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where it is most common internationally. UNICEF also claimed that around 250 million women and girls today were forced into marriage before they reach the age of 15.
"The numbers tell us we must accelerate our efforts," said UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake who also urged international cooperation to address both of the issues at hand. He continued to identify Somalia as one of the worst places for FGM today.
The Summit was also addressed by victims and activists against both FGM and forced marriages from across the world. There moving stories based on personal experiences and organisational challenges in overcoming them were a further reason for political action some politicians argued in their speeches.
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina spoke at length about the difficulties early forced marriage presents for girls and women in her country. She stated that her government is committed to eradicating it by 2021 despite the massive cultural obstacles to overcome at home.
The invited delegates at the global summit included a large Somali group representing the central government, regional administrations, Diaspora organisations and civil society.
The Somali Health Minister Ahmed Adnan Ahmed who was one of the delegates representing the Somali government said that eradicating FGM was a key priority for his government which they hope to achieve by 2016. He pledged that his government will work hard to tackle it through legislation as well as education.
London based nurse Hoodo Ali at the Summit
One of the delegates at the Summit was Hoodo Ali a nurse from London. While she totally agreed with the illegality of the FGM and the horrendous consequences it has on its victims today, she argued that in the past it was love, pride and ignorance that forced mothers to carry out FGM on their daughters.
“The older generation of mothers who engaged in FGM for their daughters did it out of love and ignorance of its consequences. They genuinely thought they were acting their child’s best interest,” said Hoodo. “With increasingly better education in our community and more awareness raising as well as the proposed government legislation as a deterrent we can dream of eradicating FGM in the future.”
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg delivers a speech at the 'Girl Summit 2014' in Walworth Academy on July 22, 2014 in London, England.
The Summit was closed by the British Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, Nick Clegg who a day earlier said that FGM was illegal, wrong and that “There is no cultural issue about not intervening” when it comes to protecting girls from it. In his closing speech reaffirming his message from yesterday, Clegg argued that enough was enough and FGM was everybody’s business.
“We are committed to ending FGM and forced marriage. But this is just the start. Now, we need to deliver. We need to stand up alongside those dedicating their lives to ending this abuse. We need to be there for the women and girls still at risk,” ended Nick Clegg to a loud applause from the audience.