The following is a translated summary of the article, » Mariages forces ou précoces et excision des jeunes filles : Une 1ère déclaration régionale d’abandon le 20 janvier à Ziguinchor » by Moussa Sadio in Le Soleil.
427 villages will participate in the first regional declaration for the abandonment of child/forced marriage and female genital cutting (FGC) of the region of Ziguinchor, Senegal. More than 5,000 people are expected at the event, most from rural villages outside of the city, which will take place on January 20th 2013 at Bambaya square in the Peyrissac neighborhood of Ziguinchor. The event was organized by Tostan Senegal, which seeks to empower communities through human rights education. According to Bacary Tamba, Tostan Senegal’s coordinator in the Ziguinchor and Sédhiou regions, community participation in the program has already led to rate of abandonment of harmful practices of approximately 80%. Bacary Tamba was hopeful that the huge declaration would help reach the remaining 20%, encouraging further abandonment of the practices.
