Thursday, 6 February marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation and the United Nations has reaffirmed its goal to eradicate the practice by 2030.
While female genital mutilation has declined significantly over the past 30 years, the UN states that growing humanitarian crises like climate change, armed conflict and disease outbreaks pose a risk of undermining the progress of the last three decades and the organisation’s goal to eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030.
According to the UN, in 2025 nearly 4.4 million girls will be at risk of female genital mutilation, which equates to 12,000 cases every day.
“With five years remaining in this decade of action, our collective actions must be centred around creating environments where girls and women can exercise their power and choice, enjoying full rights to health, education, and safety. And this is possible through investments in initiatives led by survivors of female genital mutilation who are challenging harmful gender and social norms. Their voices and actions can transform deeply rooted social and gender norms, allowing girls and women to realise their rights and potential in terms of health, education, income, and equality,” the UN said.
On Tuesday, 4 February at 12pm the Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross will host a round table discussion to highlight evolving humanitarian challenges in Africa, focusing on the crises in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.
“Millions of civilians have been uprooted or lost their livelihoods because of the ongoing armed conflicts, while many were killed or wounded. While every context is different, the Red Cross has been observing alarming trends, such as the use of heavy artillery in densely populated areas, resulting in loss of civilian life and damage to essential civilian infrastructure. The Red Cross has launched its 2025 Appeal, set at 2.17-billion Swiss francs (CHF). Of this, CHF746.8-million is needed to cover its humanitarian response in Africa,” the organisation said.
The discussion will be led by Red Cross Regional Director for Africa, Patrick Youssef, who has worked on specific topics related to the respect of international humanitarian law.
On Wednesday, 5 February, at 10am several organisations will host a picket outside the Mining Indaba at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in solidarity with informal miners and mining-affected communities in the aftermath of the Stilfontein humanitarian crisis.
“Over the past few months, South Africa has witnessed a state-sanctioned massacre unfold in Stilfontein. We have watched as artisanal miners have been subjected to cruelty and brutality, and many were condemned to an unjust fate. We have seen the blatant rise of Afrophobia, racism, and classism. It is clear that compassion and care for human life is being forgotten,” the organisations said.
Also happening on Wednesday, at 6pm the Eswatini Institute of Alternative Ideas will launch the Justice 4 Swaziland Campaign. This online launch will amplify the call for democracy, justice, and an end to absolute monarchy rule in Eswatini and outline the campaign’s vision, key actions, and how you can be part of this movement for change.
Also on Wednesday, 5 February, at 6pm the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) will host an online women’s support group.
“In a world that demands so much from women, it’s important to take a moment to pour back into yourself. Our New Women’s Support Group provides a nurturing space to share, heal, and grow — free from judgement and filled with understanding,” Sadag said.
On Friday, 7 February, at 2 pm the Centre for Human Rights will host a webinar in honour of the late Professor Michelo Hansungule.
Hansungule died on 13 September 2024 at the age of 70. His 17-year career at the Centre for Human Rights involved teaching programmes like the Master’s in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa, the Multidisciplinary Human Rights Master’s Programme, the Human Rights short courses and the African Human Rights Moot Court Competition.
“Michelo was passionate about the plight of human rights in Africa and was actively involved as a consultant, advisor, academic, activist and litigator. He served as a Member of the Independent Technical Team established to measure compliance of countries with the governance and human rights requirements of the New Economic Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad). He also served as an Independent Expert Member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and as a board member for Minority Groups International. At the time of his untimely death, he was a Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists. He had served as a commissioner for three consecutive terms,” the Centre for Human Rights said.
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