Tanzania, Roundtable against female genital mutilation

Ambassador Marco Lombardi hosted at the Residence of the Italian Embassy in Dar es Salaam the "United Nations International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation" event, organised together with the local UNFPA and UNICEF Delegations, as well as the AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation) in Nairobi.

It was a roundtable discussion on the UN's chosen theme for 2023 - "Partnering with Men and Boys to End FGM"-which was attended by Minister Dorothy Gwajima, responsible for equal opportunity and women's empowerment, as well as heads of UNFPA and UNICEF Delegations, representatives of the local police force, religious figures, and Tanzanian associations committed to the fight against female genital mutilation.

During his speech, Ambassador Lombardi placed special emphasis on the fact that the fight against female genital mutilation is a priority for Italy, and that girls and young women have the right to live free from violence. The Ambassador also stressed that stopping female genital mutilation also requires the involvement of men and boys in a shared responsibility to end this aberrant practice.