Towards the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation

The NPWJ approach

The activities carried out by No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) are part of a growing international effort for the abandonment of the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)(1). The contribution of NPWJ to this endeavour aims in particular at fostering and strengthening the joint commitment of governments and civil society to eradicate the practice, particularly through political action and the adoption of increasingly effective legal measures. We developed our strategy to help combat this practice acknowledging that the law is only one part of a broader approach towards the abandonment of FGM that must be accompanied by a wide range of other measures designed to address the underlying conditions that allow FGM to continue. This policy derives from our belief that solutions lie in taking a two-pronged approach: bottom up from the grassroots, and top down from Government and lawmakers.