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STORY: GA/ FGM
TRT: 2.42
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ FRENCH/ NATS
DATELINE: 20 DECEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations Headquarters
20 DECEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
3. SOUNDUP (English) Vuk Jeremic, General Assembly 67th Session President:
“We now turn to draft decision one, entitled ‘Ending the Female Genital Mutilation’. The Third Committee adopted draft decision one. May I take that the Assembly wishes to do the same? So decided.”
4. Pan from left to right, General Assembly Hall
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Der Kogda, Permanent Representtaive of Burkina Faso to the United Nations:
"The resolution that has just been adopted is not only a strong political message that engages the entire international community, but it is also a message of hope for millions of girls and women each year who risk suffering this discriminatory and hateful practice in the name of tradition and, falsely, religion.”
6. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
7. SOUNDBITE (French) Der Kogda, Permanent Representtaive of Burkina Faso to the United Nations:
"Africa, torchbearer of this resolution, is already mobilized in the struggle for the elimination of this practice. This mobilization is happening at the level of governments who increasingly are showing a strong political will to liberate women and children from the yoke of FGM by implementing programmes and projects, by enacting laws and in particular by releasing the human and financial resources necessary to combat this scourge.”
8. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
9. Wide shot, press conference podium
10. Med shot, two reporters
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicolo Figa Talamaca, Secretary-General, No Peace Without Justice:
“This resolution brings home and I think forever and written down in stone is that female genital mutilation is not a terrible disease that happens, but it is a human rights violation which is committed by somebody on somebody else. It involves to the extent that countries, even if it is private human right violation, not a public human rights violation, not committed by state, but to extent that countries are responsible and engages in human rights violations that occur on their territory. It is a big commitment for countries.”
12. Wide shot, two reporters
13. SOUNDBITE (French) Mariam Lamizana, President of the Inter-African Committee against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM):
“The law is good, it accompanies sensitization activities, it gives political force to activities on the ground, it translates the political will of states to say ‘no’, but there are other accompanying measures and these are sensitization campaigns, and the involvement of the community in the fight, because increasingly we need village communities to take ownership and create discipline because there is also such a thing as village law.”
14. Wide shot, press conference participants leaving
United Nations Member States today (20 December) approved a draft resolution aimed at ending the harmful practice of female genital mutilation. The text was approved by consensus.
The text of the resolution urges States to take all measures – including legislation prohibiting female genital mutilation – to both protect women and girls and end impunity for this practice. Among other provisions, the text designates 6 February as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.
The Ambassador of Burkina Faso, Der Kogda welcomed today's adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution on female genital mutilation as a strong political signal against a "hateful" traditional practice that was “falsely rooted in religion”.
At a press conference following the adoption, the Secretary-General of the international non-profit organization No Peace Without Justice, Nicolo Figa Talamaca told reporters that this resolution brings home the message that “female genital mutilation is not a terrible disease that happens, but it is a human rights violation which is committed by somebody on somebody else.” He called it a “a big commitment for countries”.
The President of the Inter-African Committee against Female Genital Mutilation Mariam Lamizana told reporters that laws are important, but to have them it is not enough. She raised the issue of sensitization of the community.
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) refers to several different harmful practices involving the cutting of the female genitals for non-medical reasons. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of FGM.
Each year, around three million girls and women – or some 8,000 girls each day – face the risk of mutilation or cutting. An estimated 130 million to 140 million girls and women have undergone the practice, mostly in Africa and some countries in Asia and the Middle East.
Over the past three years, some 8,000 communities across the world, including in 15 African countries, have abandoned the practice, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). Last year alone 2,000 communities declared that they will no longer allow the human rights violation to continue.
