Ethiopia: Ethiopia’s effort to eliminate HTPS said fruitful

Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD-UK), based in the United Kingdom, indicated that Ethiopia’s effort focused at eliminating Harmful Traditional Practices (HTPs) is successful.

The efforts in eliminating harmful traditional practices against women and girls in Africa in general and in Ethiopia in particular are now bearing fruits, Executive Director of FORWARD-UK, Naana Otoo-Oyortey, said in connection with a regional training under the theme “Advancing the Human Rights of African Girls” organized by Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices (IAC) in Adama yesterday.

Due to the attention given by African Governments and their partners to HTPs like child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM), the issues have now been top on the agenda in the continent, she said, and further indicated that Ethiopia has achieved a lot in the fight against HTPs.

“Though the endeavor of protecting the rights of women and girls and ensuring their health is encouraging, a lot should be done in this regard” the executive director underlined.

Senior program officer of the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices (IAC), Linda Osarenren, also said due to the coordinated efforts of the Ethiopian government and its partners HTPs are now on the decline in the country.

A case in point, Linda indicated, is the fact that the prevalence of FGM in Ethiopia has now been reduced to about 52 per cent from 73 per cent a few years back. “If all concerned bodies join hands and work together, I hope, FGM will be eliminated from Ethiopia in the coming ten years” Linda said.

She also called upon the government and other concerned bodies to join forces and work hard to eliminate this social ill and health problem.

Various participants drawn from African countries and pertinent institutions in Ethiopia are in attendance in the four-day training.

Source: WIC – 20 August 2008