Genital and Sexual Mutilation of Females

WIN News, Summer, 2002

INTER-AFRICAN COMMITTEE ACTIVITY REPORT 2001

INTER-AFRICAN COMMITTEE (IAC), P.O. Box 3001, Addus Ababa, Ethiopia

CONTENTS:

145, rue de Lausanne, CH-1202, SWITZERLAND

"I. INTRODUCTION // II. REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES // III. ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY IAC NATIONAL COMMITTEES (NCs): Alternative Employment Opportunities (AEO) // Training, Information and Communication (TIC) // Advocacy and Networking at National Level // IV. IAC GROUPS/SECTIONS // V. CONCLUSION.

I. INTRODUCTION (excerpts)

According to the Plan of Action adopted by IAC at its General Assembly, held in February-March 2001, interventions are categorized at 4 levels taking into account the operational capacity of AC National Committees (NCs) and focusing on priority areas.

The four levels are:

1. Those that are ready to expand having secured office space and staff services through full scale operations: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea-Conakry, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan.

2. NCs which need training and additional staff and activities to expand outreach and extend programmes, e.g. reconversion of excisers: Benin, Egypt, Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, Tanzania, Tchad, Togo.

3. NCs which need at least a full-time programme officer, a programme plan, staff training: Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Djibouti, Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda.

4. Countries where IAC/NCs need revival: Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia.

Taking this directive as a basis, the Inter-African Committee focused on specific strategic areas of intervention at the national level while continuing with its lobbying and advocacy work at the regional and international levels.

Fifty-three projects with youth as a follow-up to the Youth Forum held in Addis Ababa in 2000, were undertaken in 16 countries. This was justified by the fact that youth are more open-minded to readily accept the harmful effects of practices such as FGM and to mobilize efforts for peer education. The involvement of youth in the campaign against culturally condoned forms of violence is believed to bring immediate and lasting change of attitudes.

The reconversion of excisers is another activity including Alternative Employment Opportunities (AEO) with two main objectives:

* Encourage them to make informed decisions to stop the practice.

* Use their status in the community as agents of change after converting them...

Alternative Employment Opportunities have been implemented by AC with visible impact in Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Niger. In Ethiopia, where the first pilot project began, 30 trainees initially involved in the project are at present running a successful business.

Training, Information and Communication (TIC) is a traditional operation of AC aimed at reaching large numbers of people. This programme continues to be implemented...

Following the decision of the last General Assembly, an IAC Scientific Committee was set up with a mandate to develop a manual for action oriented research and tools for monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment...

IAC lobbies and advocates at the appropriate international fora with the aim of ensuring government involvement and commitment. This is an important part of our work since a sustained and long lasting solution requires main-streaming in national plans of action based on political decision.

Building the IAC information network and consolidating the existing system has long been recognized. For the actualisation of this objective, an Information Officer has been employed at headquarters. A volunteer has given valuable work in the liaison office to build the existing AC website. Distribution of relevant materials continues.

Intensified monitoring and evaluation have been carried out throughout the year, mainly by the AC staff in headquarters and by the Director of Field Operations, appointed in 2001.

II. REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES (summary)

1. Coordinating Activities: Fundraising // Preparation for the IAC 5th Regional Conference/ General Assembly // Production and distribution of materials // Audit and activity report.

2. Lobbying and Advocacy: Commission on Human Rights // Sub-Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights // World Health Organization // World Conference on Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Durban // Committee on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (OHCHR) // FGM in Europe // IAC/AIDOS Training Seminar.

II. ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY IAC NATIONAL COMMITTEES (NCs)

GROUP 1: Ethiopia // Guinea-Conakry // Mali (2 organisations)

GROUP 2: Benin // Egypt // Ghana // Liberia // Mauritania // Niger // Tanzania // Tchad // Togo

GROUP 3: Cameroon // Congo Brazzaville // Djibouti // Kenya // Senegal // Sierra Leone // Uganda

GROUP 4: Cote d'Ivoire // Guinea-Bissau

To implement the IAC Plan of Action for the year 2001, the following field activities were realized. The IAC gave great importance to implementing projects targeted specifically to youth groups during 2001:

1. Youth projects

2. AEO (Alternative Employment Opportunities for excisers)