Norway supports abolishment of FGM/C through UNICEF’s Child Protection Campaign. As a part of that campaign, UNICEF kicked off the Saleema Campaign on the 6th of February 2009. Saleema aims to change the way people talk about FGM/C by attaching strong positive values to the act of protecting girls from cutting. The nationwide campaign aims for positive social transaction in Sudan by changing the way whole communities perceive the FGM/C.
Widespread practice
FGM/C is widespread in Sudan, primarily in the North. Over the past 10 years the overall percentage of FGM/C in the northern states has stayed constant at approximately 90%. The most serious of the three forms of FGM/C has been practised on 77% of circumcised rural females. The widespread practice of FGM/C is rooted in pre-existing social and cultural practices.
Still, there are positive developments. According to the new Sudan Household Study (2006), there has been a considerable drop in the in the national prevalence rate. While a 90% prevalence rate was reported in 2000, the current prevalence rate is 68.7% according to the latest study. Since the Sudan Household Study used surveys, this reduction may be down to decreased reporting rather than stopping the practice. Nonetheless, the numbers at least represent a change in awareness and attitude, thus presenting fertile ground for further work to abolish the practice.
Focusing on awareness
As views on FGM/C are changing in Sudan, governmental and non-governmental initiatives aim to abolish the practice. In 2008, the Sudanese government endorsed a national strategy to abolish FGM/C. A national awareness campaign led by Mrs. Wedad Babeker, the president’s wife, is in progress. A big set-back in this process was the government’s decision in February to withdraw an article in their Convention on the Rights of the Child that prohibits and criminalises FGM/C – contradicting the state strategy and its obligations to eliminate FGM/C in all its forms. UNICEF and its partners continue working towards legal reform.