We appreciate the cabinet of Puntland for approving the anti- Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) bill as a key step towards a full ban on female genital mutilation in Puntland state in Somalia, where 98% of girls and women undergone FGM. We hope that the Parliament will follow suit and pass the bill smoothly for the benefit of rights of girls and women in the state.

We hope that this to be a good example to other authorities in Somalia and follow suite, and enact similar legal measures to ban female genital mutilation once and for all in their respective territories.

We will continue, together with other partners to advocate elimination of all forms of violence against girls and women in order to achieve a country where women and girls enjoy all their rights and live in dignity.

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HAWA FEMINIST COALITION
Bosaso, Puntland Somalia