United Nations commends Egypt's efforts to eradicate FGM

CAIRO – 16 June 2020: On the National Day to Eradicate FGM that takes place on June 15, the United Nations in Egypt commended the efforts deployed by the country to combat the inhumane practice.

The United Nations in Egypt honored the memory of victims and survivors condemning the recent crime committed by a father who deceived his three daughters to undergo FGM at the hands of a physician.

The father took the daughters from his ex-wife under the pretext of vaccinating them against COVID-19, and made the doctor commit the crime after euthanizing them.
The United Nations in Egypt praised the quick response - on the legal and psycho-social levels – by the National Committee for the Eradication of FGM co-chaired by the National Council for Women (NCW) and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM).

The United Nations "underscores the importance of the existence of a strong political will, solid legal framework and its enforcement, national data and baselines to inform targeting, policy making, and programming to eradicate FGM," the statement read.

The United Nations noted the progress achieved since the formation of the committee in May 2019, and that is embodied in scaling up initiatives and adopting innovative approaches. A case in point is "Protect Her from FGM" campaign that reached millions of households across Egypt.

United Nation’s Resident Coordinator in Egypt Cristina Albertin Said, "the efforts of the National Committee for the Eradication of FGM are highly timely and decisive as they work towards ending this practice through addressing its root causes.”

The United Nations expressed eagerness to expand cooperation with Egypt, development partners, and civil society "to protect the rights of women and girls and bring this harmful practice to an end, towards the realization of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on achieving gender equality."