EMBASSY HOSTS HUMAN RIGHTS IN-REACH ON FEMALE GENITAL

UNCLAS CONAKRY 000331

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS


C O R R E C T E D COPY - ADDED SENSITIVE CAPTION

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL ASEC GV
SUBJECT: EMBASSY HOSTS HUMAN RIGHTS IN-REACH ON FEMALE GENITAL
MUTILATION


1. (U) SUMMARY: On June 26, the Embassy held the first of a series
of planned Human Rights In-Reaches intended to educate American and
locally employed staff (LES) about critical human rights issues in
Guinea. This first program focused on combating Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM),a practice that affects an estimated 96% of the
female population in Guinea. A pre-program survey was distributed to
Embassy participants prior to the event in order to gather a
baseline of understanding of employee attitudes towards human rights
in Guinea and FGM. END SUMMARY


2. (U) Most Embassy efforts on human rights consist of out-reach to
government and non-government actors throughout Guinea. In
discussing human rights with our own staff, however, we realized
that many of our own employees do not have a solid understanding of
human rights issues, nor of why the USG advocates so strongly for
better protection of those rights. In order to address this
problem, we decided to reach out to our own staff in order to raise
awareness on critical human rights issues in Guinea. Support for
and understanding of fundamental human rights must start at home
with both American and local staff. For the message to have maximum
impact, we are utilizing local speakers and local NGOs to deliver
the programs.

--------------
FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
--------------


3. (U) For the first Human Rights In-Reach on Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM),Embassy invited Dr. Morrissanda Kouyate,
Operations Director of Inter-African Committee and former director
of CPTAFE, an organization that has received funding from USAID
Guinea to combat FGM. Dr. Kouyate's presentation focused on: 1)
graphic depictions of the different types of FGM; 2) discussion of
the health consequences of FGM; 3) debunking the social, religious,
and cultural rationale for FGM; and 4) discussion of the prevalence
of FGM in Guinea. Embassy included three local staff, who are
passionately opposed to FGM, in the program preparations. Local
staff also participated as presenters in the event, introducing the
speaker and reading a passage accounting a Guinean woman's own
excision.


4. (SBU) A survey was distributed at the beginning of the program to
all participants, including Americans and LES, to gather a baseline
understanding of and attitude towards human rights and Female
Genital Mutilation. A total of 230 surveys were completed, 41 from
women and 188 from men. Of the total surveys, 28 were completed by
American staff and 202 by LES. When asked to comment on whether
various human rights issues were a problem in Guinea, the top five
human rights concerns amongst participants were 1) Female Genital
Mutilation, 2) Forced Early Marriage of Girls, 3) Illegal Prison
Detentions, 4) Rape and Sexual Violence, and 5) Torture in Detention
Centers. Furthermore, 81% of participants said that the Guinean
Government did not protect human rights and 75% did not think the
people of Guinean understood human rights.


5. (SBU) Participants were then questioned on their knowledge of
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). When asked about the rate of FGM in
Guinea, 61% of participants knew the rate was "More than 75%." The
rate of FGM was estimated at 96% in Guinea according to a 2005
survey. Only 50% of the participants knew that FGM is illegal in
Guinea. When LES women were asked whether they thought FGM would
have an impact on one's chances of getting married, 33% said it
would increase one's prospects, 26% said it would decrease one's
prospects, and 41% said it would have no impact. Participants were
also asked how many people they knew that were impacted by this
practice, 21% said zero to five people, 20% said between five and 20
people, and 59% said more than 20 people.

--------------
REACTIONS
--------------


6. (SBU) Dr. Kouyate led discussions asking Embassy staff about
their reaction to his presentation and thoughts on how to combat FGM
in Guinea. During this time, American and local staff shared
personal stories, expressed their shock at the new information, and
acknowledged their previous lack of understanding of FGM. At the
beginning of the presentation, Dr. Kouyate had asked the audience
how many people had sent their daughters to be excised. Around 40%
of the local staff raised their hands openly. At the end of the
presentation, many who had admitted to have their daughters
participate in this practice claimed "they had no idea of what had
actually happened. It was women's business." Many local staff
offered ideas of how to combat the practice, saying emphatically
that this presentation needs to be given to their families and to
people in their villages to educate them on FGM. After the event,
Embassy received overwhelmingly positive reactions from Americans
and local staff.


7. (SBU) A female staff member stood up during the discussion and
emotionally related how she had chosen to be ostracized from her
family for eight years in order to protect her two daughters from
FGM. A number of men publicly thanked the Embassy for the
presentation, saying that they never knew what FGM actually
involved, and they appreciated the opportunity to speak frankly
about it. These same comments were later echoed to supervisors
throughout the building. One clearly appalled staff member told his
supervisor after the presentation that he has three daughters of his
own, and he is absolutely committed to ensuring that they do not
become victims of FGM.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


8. (SBU) Many local staff were obviously emotionally moved by the
presentation. Both men and women participants occasionally left the
room for a few minutes, clearly shocked, and at times uncomfortable
with the presentation, which is the same type of presentation made
out in the villages with USAID support. It was clear that the
in-reach succeeded in reaching a number of local staff who expressed
genuine concern and disgust for FGM, many of them being the same
individuals who had raised their hands when asked if their daughters
had been excised. Although some attitudes were significantly
changed, other LES likely remain committed to the practice for
cultural and religious reasons. This in-reach is an important
initial step in educating our staff about our work on human rights.
Embassy hopes that as these in-reaches continue over the coming
months, covering such topics as forced early marriages, HIV/AIDS
discrimination, domestic violence, etc, our own staff will
demonstrate increased understanding and advocacy for better
protection of fundamental human rights in Guinea. To be effective
outside the building, we must start at home. END COMMENT.

CARTER