GAMCOTRAP urges government to outlaw FGM

GAMCOTRAP, women ’s rights NGO working in the area of women and girls has urges the Government of the Gambia to escalate the gains already made in the advocacy by enacting a specific law against FGM.

In a press release issued ahead of the celebration of Zero Tolerance on FGM, GAMCOTRAP said the call is a popular demand from the population who is aware of the negative effects of FGM on women’s health and well-being.

GAMCOTRAP who have been very active and effective in stopping FGM will join the rest of the world to commemorate Zero Tolerance Day on FGM on Saturday. This year’s celebration marked the twelfth commemoration of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting.

Zero Tolerance Day originated on Feb. 6, 2003, when the first lady of Nigeria, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, officially declared “Zero Tolerance to FGM” in Africa during a conference organised by the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children, a non-governmental network headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Since then, this day has been observed around the world.
The theme for 2012 is: “Mobilization and Involvement of Health Personnel to Accelerate Zero Tolerance for FGM.”

“February 6^th 2015 is yet another day celebrating an important event calling the attention of the whole world the aim to end violence against women and girl –children,” the statement reads. “The theme is very relevant and important for the health sector to engage in the advocacy to end FGM and promote the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girl-children.”

Benin: Three journalists banned from presenting news

 

Three journalists at Benin’s state broadcaster, Office de Radiodiffusion et Television du Benin (ORTB), have been banned from presenting on the television station’s 8pm broadcast.

 

Ozias Sounouvou, Prévert Noutèhou and Renaud Acakpo told MFWA’s correspondent in Benin that there was an “order from above that their names should be removed from the list of news presenters for the 20 hours news broadcast”. The order was posted in the editorial room February 1, 2015.

 

The ban of the three journalists follows a statement made by another presenter, Ozias Sounouvou, during the 11:30pm edition on January 12.

 

While presenting the news, Sounouvou called out the President of Benin, Yayi Boni, for participating in a press freedom march in Paris following the Charlie Hebdo attacks while in his own country, people cannot exercise the right to freedom of expression.