Source: Bureau Central du Recensement et des Études de Population (BUCREP)/MINAFER planning unit estimate.

*Data from the 2006 school census.

In 2006/2007, the number of children enrolled rose by 5.4 per cent over the previous year, from 2,959,135 to 3,120,357 pupils. Girls made up 45.88 per cent of all primary school enrolments in 2006/2007, compared with 45.84 per cent in the 2005/2006 school year.

The figures in the above table show that the gender parity index was 0.85 for the whole country in 2003/2004 and 0.90 in 2006/2007.

Table 2

Main indicators of primary school coverage in 2006/2007

Province	Gross enrolment ratio s		Net enrolment rat io s		Gross admission rat io s
2003/04	Gender p arity index		2006/07	Gender p arity index		2006/07	Gender p arity index		2006/07	Gender p arity index
Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total
Adamaoua	113.83	80.87	97.26	0.71	111.11	88.82	100.39	0.80	83.46	68.93	76.47	0.83	116.92	95.86	106.67	0.82
Centre	114.48	112.24	113.37	0.98	99.37	104.10	101.63	1.05	77.07	81.38	79.13	1.06	84.35	87.22	85.74	1.03
Est	109.62	97.58	103.72	0.89	108.75	100.46	104.77	0.92	81.74	77.46	79.68	0.95	109 . 33	105 . 16	107 . 30	0 . 96
Extrême-Nord	113.06	70.75	92.01	0.63	112.11	77.85	95.49	0.69	91.36	65.11	78.62	0.71	109.05	79.87	94.72	0.73
Littoral	93.37	89.18	91.27	0.96	68.55	73.66	70.97	1.07	53.76	58.21	55.87	1.08	55.21	57.23	56.18	1.04
Nord	117.28	74.94	96.66	0.64	117.02	79.26	98.70	0.68	80.53	66.23	73.59	0.82	104.26	80 . 01	92 . 36	0 . 77
Nord-Ouest	96.27	90.54	93.43	0.94	126.77	117.38	122.08	0.93	95.62	89.68	92.65	0.94	96.04	87.62	91.79	0 . 91
Ouest	129.65	119.26	124.41	0.92	150.32	132.64	141.24	0.88	98.36	93.81	96.02	0.95	116.24	100.23	107.92	0 . 86
Sud	105.49	105.35	105.42	1.00	104.96	107.01	105.94	1.02	80.17	83.51	81.76	1.04	96.47	98.72	97.55	1 . 02
Sud-Ouest	85.17	79.22	82.15	0.93	91.97	99.93	95.73	1.09	75.22	81.87	78.36	1.09	79.16	85.45	82.16	1 . 08
Total	108.14	92.05	100.14	0.85	106.94	96.37	101.81	0.90	80.76	75.44	78.18	0.93	93 . 25	84 . 09	88 . 76	0 . 90

It must, however, be noted that the results are somewhat mixed when it comes to completion of schooling. The situation in the northern provinces calls for additional efforts. This means that parents must still be made aware of the need to send their daughters to school, to encourage them to go to school and, above all, to keep them in school.

Table 3Completion rates by province and by sex in 2006/07

Province	Boys	Girls	Total	Synthetic p arity index
Adamaoua	73.00	46.91	59.88	0.64
Centre	84.34	86.21	85.27	1.02
Est	64.23	50.20	57.36	0.78
Extrême-Nord	58.08	26.70	42.47	0.46
Littoral	76.48	77.44	76.96	1.01
Nord	76.32	34.71	56.05	0.45
Nord-Ouest	94.65	94.06	114.36	0.99
Ouest	85.60	84.29	84.94	0.98
Sud	71.88	68.99	70.48	0.96
Sud-Ouest	97.55	90.27	93.86	0.93
Overall	80.83	69.68	75.28	0.86

Source: MINEDUB planning unit/School census 2006.

While the Government is making efforts to encourage female enrolment, more vigorous awareness-raising is needed in the northern provinces where parity ratios remain low.

16.Statistical data and measures in place to address illiteracy

The Ministry of Youth has drawn up a National Literacy Programme (PNA), which it has been implementing since August 2005. This programme is part of the fight against poverty and gives the Ministry an important tool in that regard, supplemented by more incisive strategies, because it specifically targets more vulnerable groups (women, girls, pygmies, street children).

In Cameroon, 5 million persons are illiterate, of whom 65 per cent (about 3,250,000) are women. The following measures have been taken:

•From 2005 to 2008, the PNA received substantial funding of more than 1.8 billion CFA francs for its pilot phase, which will end in 2008 (HIPC funds) (phase II: from 2009 to 2012)

•2,375 functional literacy centres (CAFs) were opened in 350 communes (about 45 centres per administrative department). These centres are the responsibility of a departmental-level supervisor

•3,003 communal literacy teachers, 14 per cent of whom are women, were trained to facilitate and monitor functional literacy activities

•120,000 persons were taught literacy, of whom 60 per cent were women

•Three types of teaching aids were developed and produced.

Furthermore, literacy units have been established in the Centres for the Advancement of Women and the Family, to combat female illiteracy, under the Ministry of Youth.

Multifunctional Centres for the Promotion of Youth have also been set up throughout Cameroon, under the Ministry of Youth. At these centres, functional literacy workshops are open to the general public and to women in particular. There are currently 55 in operation.

Health

17.Legislation on abortion and increased access by women to contraception; sex education in school curricula and awareness-raising campaigns to prevent teenage pregnancy

There has been no change in the national legislation on abortion; the information contained in Cameroon’s initial report remains valid.

Abortion continues to be a subject of discussion among all social strata in Cameroon. It should be noted that, in our society, motherhood is extremely sacred. The desire to have children is linked to the desire for renewal and continuity of one’s race, family line, or sociological group. Children thus serve as a sort of bridge between generations past and present, while representing future prospects for communities. Traditional African philosophy recognizes the permanent bond that links societies and families to their ancestors, as illustrated by the tremendous pride which all Africans in our country take in their genealogical roots.

According to these age-old and shared socio-cultural convictions, our ancestors remain by our side, even though we cannot physically see them, and their life and work are perpetuated through their children, who indeed inherit their names, defend them and boast about them so that their names can go down in their communities’ history. Therefore, any abortion performed for non-medical or non‑therapeutic reasons, i.e. other than to save the life of the mother or child, impedes the expression of this vital social dynamic.

One aspect which tends to be overlooked is worth noting: the tremendous joy that the possibility of having a child brings to women, as well as to men and families. Think for a moment of the anguish felt by the many couples who do not have children; think of the thousands of women and men who, in spite of their comfortable material existence, desperately want a child, even if it means adopting just one child. Think of the prospect of growing old alone, and even of being alone on one’s deathbed.

Those who undergo abortions expose themselves to a number of risks, including death. Everyone knows of at least one woman or girl who died following a voluntary termination of pregnancy and related complications, including intestinal aspiration, haemorrhaging, infections, and retention of foetal membranes. There are also after-effects such as sterility, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, perforation or ablation of the uterus, permanent sterility … and distress.

Abortion is made out to be a matter of conscience or conviction, without mentioning that it is murder. It is portrayed as a freedom without mentioning that the mother exercises this freedom to the detriment of the child’s. Abortion is elevated to the rank of a right and dignity.

Modifications in individual and collective human behaviour — influenced by modernity, economic constraints, and social changes arising from the introduction of new ideologies and scientific and technical progress — must not lead to an erosion in basic values, to cultural and ethical nihilism, or to a decline of the principles which were the basis for the harmonious existence of the earliest societies for which we are nostalgic today. Does not legalizing abortion mean depriving children of their right to life and giving mothers the right to dispose of that right as they see fit?

We agree that women face real problems. In that regard, it should be noted that our country’s Parliament is concerned and is supporting the Government’s actions to identify suitable solutions. However, all these issues definitely extend beyond the limited scope of private and even family life. Indeed, issues relating to birth, population and the family have major moral, social and political aspects.

The current repositioning of family planning is designed to strengthen it so as to enhance the availability and accessibility of modern methods of contraception. Abortion should not be confused with contraception.

Girls are one of the main target groups of family planning. Considerable efforts are being made to educate young people and adolescents and raise their awareness of sexuality and family life. In that context, family life education is now part of school curricula: 15 schools have been participating in this experiment since 2001.

HIV/AIDS education in primary, middle and secondary schools covers a number of aspects relating to safer sex, including:

•social life education

•marriage education

•reproductive health and basic information on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV and AIDS

•attitudes and skills needed to promote precautionary behaviour (and avoid risky behaviour)

•improved availability of contraception

•sex education in school curricula.

Pregnant girls have the right to stay in school. Indeed, their exclusion from public schools is forbidden. They return to school immediately after their maternity leave. This is particularly easy in a country in which a sense of African solidarity and the sense of shared family responsibility are very much alive. Girls who wish to continue their schooling can do so with complete peace of mind, entrusting their infants to their mothers or grandmothers, in short to their family. The reasonably priced day nurseries and day-care centres that have been set up will help to resolve the logistical issues faced by families.

18.Clarification on the practice of “breast ironing”

In Cameroon, “breast ironing” does exist, but on a small scale. It does not entail the use of an iron to flatten breasts. Rather, in some cases, objects like stones or spatulas are heated and massaged or placed on girls’ developing breasts in order to prevent early puberty which would attract the lustful gaze of men and create a risk of early and unwanted pregnancy. The phenomenon was brought to light through a study conducted by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in 2006 and by two anthropologists in 2007. MINPROFF plans to conduct a study to assess the scope of the phenomenon and put in place adequate strategies to address it. For the time being, campaigns to raise awareness of the effects of such practices on the health of teenage girls are being conducted throughout the country. The aim of these campaigns is to discourage the practice in the areas where it exists.

19.The role of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the draft law for the punishment of gender-based violence

The Government of Cameroon confirms that FGM is a primary focus of the draft law for the punishment of gender-based violence and discrimination.

As to the measures taken to eradicate this practice, MINPROFF has launched a public awareness-raising strategy, also extended to circumcisers, on the serious consequences of FGM for the health of women and girls. The activities involve distributing information, making presentations to the general public on the instruments used, giving personal accounts, posting related images, conducting studies on the phenomenon, and providing socio-professional retraining of circumcisers by granting microcredit to develop income-generating activities.

The regions most affected by this phenomenon are mostly in the northern part and in Sud-Ouest province. Those areas were visited to raise the awareness of administrative, traditional and religious authorities about this ancestral cultural practice. The idea was to change mindsets, spare girls, and retrain circumcisers in other trades. A partnership was established with women’s rights associations in order to expand the education and awareness-raising campaigns against this degrading treatment. Public meetings were held to affirm the authorities’ opposition to this form of mutilation.

Women’s accounts of excision are horrifying. This perverse form of male domination has serious health consequences for girls, such as recurring infection, haemorrhaging — in some cases, serious haemorrhaging — pain during sexual intercourse, incontinence, sterility, death of the mother or baby during childbirth.

This practice has been handed down from generation to generation. It has negative consequences and runs counter to the well-being, dignity, and development of girls, and affects the physical integrity of the human body, leaving indelible physical and emotional scars.

Following the recent awareness-raising campaign carried out in Extrême-Nord province, specifically in Kousseri, female circumcisers voluntarily and publicly turned over their working instruments (knives) to the Minister for the Promotion of Women and the Family, as a sign of their abandonment of the practice and their endorsement of the authorities’ advocacy against it (see photo, attached). It is hoped that this is the beginning of the end of excision in Cameroon. For its part, the Government is committed to ensuring the retraining of these circumcisers by providing support for their income-generating activities.

Early marriage predisposes girls to early pregnancy, with numerous health consequences, such as dystocia, prolonged labour and obstetric fistulae.

Early marriage robs them of a stage in their development, causing emotional imbalance and manifesting itself in post-traumatic disorders, mental and psychosomatic illnesses and frigidity, thus affecting the very harmony of families.

20.Efforts to combat AIDS, as recommended by the Committee

The strategies of the National AIDS Control Committee for combating HIV/AIDS involve the following:

–Improvement of HIV prevention among young people and families through house calls by peer educators

–Prevention of new infections among women through counselling, voluntary testing and promotion of male and female condoms

–Prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT)

–Universal and equitable access to treatment and care. This strategy has expanded through the free provision of ARV, but fees are still payable for biological monitoring and treatment of opportunistic infections

–Strengthening of campaigns targeting truck drivers and men in uniform.

It is true that some people living with HIV are stigmatized and discriminated against; women suffer more in this regard because they are accused of prostitution. They also bear the burden of home care for people living with AIDS. A girl may abandon her education in order to take care of a sick relative.

There has been a real decline in negative attitudes towards people affected by the disease. This is due to awareness-raising campaigns and efforts to explain how the disease is transmitted, but also to the spirit of solidarity and African hospitality which the influence of the modern world has not managed to dispel.

In the light of the feminization of HIV, a sectoral strategy has been drawn up and implemented for women and families. It covers the promotion of voluntary HIV testing and of the use of male and female condoms, the reduction of high-risk behaviour, prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, capacity-building for the various actors and partners, gender mainstreaming, stepped-up campaigns targeting single women, widows, prostitutes and poor families, the strengthening of harmony and cohesion within families, gender awareness efforts aimed at AIDS control partners, and the development of activities to protect the rights and dignity of women.

The Government includes schoolgirls in awareness-raising efforts by organizing activities targeting them, such as “AIDS-free holidays” and “Useful holidays”. As part of these activities, peer educators are trained in all towns, and modules are developed for girls on holiday to protect them against risky behaviour during their holiday. They are also given life and citizenship training courses.

Employment, rural women, access to property and poverty

21.Women’s labour force participation in the public and private employment sectors, information on the informal sector, types of legal, social or other services and protection available to women

There are many women at Cameroonian universities. Before enrolling in the first year, all prospective students take an orientation test to help them choose their area of study in accordance with their career aspirations.

Most women who graduate from the various universities with a bachelor’s or master’s degree apply for admission to one of the training colleges. Women are not barred from any profession. They work in all areas and occupy positions in both the public and the private sectors. Rates of pay are the same for men and women with the same qualifications.

The Civil Service Regulations for civil servants and the Labour Code, as well as particular instruments governing State employees, recognize women’s right to family benefits, provided that the husband is not receiving them in cases where the woman is married to another public employee. In addition, working women receive 14 weeks of paid maternity leave. The law in force also prohibits dismissal on grounds of pregnancy.

Women are present at all levels of the workforce. However, there are fewer of them in decision-making positions, while at the operational level they are in the majority.

22.Position of women in the legal and medical professions; measures to encourage girls to enter those fields

More and more women are choosing the liberal professions of lawyer, bailiff and notary. Currently 600 lawyers out of 1,370 called to the bar in Cameroon are women, 96 of the 405 bailiffs are women, and 49 of the 85 notaries are women (in other words, the majority). Many women who take the entrance examination for the National School of Administration and Judicial Studies choose the profession of clerk of the court, which is ranked lower in the civil service than that of member of the judiciary. There are currently 153 women among the 580 clerks of the court.

No measures have been taken to encourage women to enter the legal professions. Instead, the Government encourages women to enter scientific fields, including medicine. As part of its policy of assistance to students, the Government provided university grants in 2007 to the top 250 female science students. Many elites also organize ceremonies to reward excellence and encourage girls.

23.Measures to encourage rural women to participate in recreational activities

Recreational facilities suited to the rural environment are part of life in rural communities.

Moreover, the Rural Development Sector Strategy provides for the development of community telecentres and other facilities for the development of sport and recreation. The Ministry for the Promotion of Women and the Family fosters women’s interest in recreation by encouraging them to include leisure activities in the action plans of their associations and by organizing showings of educational films, social and legal clinics, matches and competitions such as “Miss Rural Woman”. There are also social and cultural centres for recreational activities, in which rural women participate actively. Community leaders take responsibility for these activities in rural areas.

24.Women’s access to forms of financial credit

Measures are planned to facilitate women’s access to bank loans and mortgages, such as the establishment of banks specifically for women and the introduction of new types of guarantee and loan rates that are more accessible to women.

A recent survey conducted by the National Institute of Statistics shows that, over the past two years, 12 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 have obtained investment credit. Analysis by area indicates that the proportion of women receiving credit is highest in Sud-Ouest province, where it stands at 19 per cent, followed by Ouest province (16 per cent), Littoral province (14 per cent), Est province (14 per cent) and the city of Douala (14 per cent). The lowest proportions are in Nord province (4 per cent), Extrême-Nord province (7 per cent), Adamaoua province (9 per cent) and Sud province (9 per cent). More women access credit in urban areas (13 per cent) than in rural areas (10 per cent). Moreover, uneducated women make the least use of credit (7 per cent). The situation is practically the same for those in the poorest quintile of households (7 per cent).

* Translator’s note: Figures as supplied in the original French text.

According to statistical data, the rural population in 2007 was estimated at 7,486,608 inhabitants, made up of 3,795,082 women and 3,961,526 men (Cameroon regional socio-economic studies — national outline — Ministry of Economic Affairs, Programming and Regional Development/Project PNUD-OPS CMR/98/005/01/99). In other words, women outnumber men in rural areas.*

As part of the development of the agro-food industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has set up mechanisms to give priority support to women, such as the National Roots and Tubers Development Programme (PNDRT), the National Agricultural Extension and Research Programme (PNVRA), the Development Programme for the Maize, Plantain and Cacao Sectors, and the National Lowlands Development Programme, providing support primarily for women farmers. In addition, gender is mainstreamed in some of these programmes, such as the National Agricultural Extension and Research Programme and the National Roots and Tubers Development Programme. There are also “study fields”, where interested women and girls can experiment and learn. The “Miss Land” competition is supported under the National Roots and Tubers Development Programme; the winner is not only provided with a study field but also sponsors a root or tuber.

In the absence of statistics, it is difficult to evaluate the direct support provided by MINADER to joint initiative groups, and more specifically to joint initiative groups that are solely or predominantly made up of women.

The action plan for the programmes mentioned above includes a capacity-building component aimed at rural women, which is based on the following elements:

–Efforts to inform rural women about setting up agricultural production associations so that they can enjoy the benefits offered by these programmes

–Modern agricultural techniques

–Farm management

–Marketing of agricultural products

–Processing of agricultural products

–Income distribution

–Health and hygiene

–Endemic diseases

–The concept of gender.

MINADER provides support to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in rural areas in their ongoing struggle against poverty and quest for well-being.

Of more than 1,250 microfinance institutions included in the Ministry’s register of cooperative societies and joint initiative groups, 163, or more than 10 per cent, are cooperative savings and credit associations solely or predominantly for women that are spread around the country.

During the 2007 fiscal year, 130 million CFA francs were made available by MINADER to microfinance institutions countrywide, and community mutual growth funds distributed 753 million CFA francs to farmers and rural inhabitants of both sexes.

With regard to participation in public life, the Head of State has personally urged rural women to stand for elected office. Thus, there are some women serving in the National Assembly and in municipal executives. As for social life, Cameroon has many women’s associations and forums for exchanges, strengthening of sisterhood, mutual assistance and resource mobilization through tontines as an alternative to bank credit, to which many women do not have access.

25.Women’s access to land

With regard to land, Cameroonian law is not discriminatory. The difficulties which women experience in gaining access to land are a result of customary practices. However, where there is a conflict between the law and custom, the law prevails. In order to facilitate women’s access to land ownership, emphasis is placed on information, education, awareness-raising and advocacy activities targeting customary leaders and heads of household. Women therefore have access to land title in Cameroon.

The awareness-raising campaigns and visits conducted by the leadership of the Ministry of Property and Land Affairs are aimed at publicizing existing procedures with regard to land. In that connection, a document entitled “100 user questions” and a monthly newsletter entitled “Land Info” have been produced and distributed.

A recent survey by the National Institute of Statistics, conducted with the support of UNICEF, shows that some women are the sole owners of houses, with or without title, although the number remains low in comparison with the proportion of men with that status. The proportion of women who own property or land is higher among those who are heads of household. The proportion of women who own a house with or without title is higher among those who have been married or have cohabited with a partner compared with those who are currently married or cohabiting and those who have never been married. Insecurity of ownership or possession of houses or land without title is common for certain groups of women, such as those in Est province (12 and 13 per cent), Centre province (11 and 13 per cent), and widows and divorced women (13 and 14 per cent).

Gender disparities with regard to land are linked to cultures and practices. The image of girls as future wives and of women as non-stakeholders continues to affect land distribution. In the context of the family, it is held that giving land to a girl means losing the land, because she has to go elsewhere to start a family. In households, it is feared that, if a girl inherits land, the community may lose it in the event of a divorce.

The Government is engaging in social education to promote a reconsideration of the image of girls and women in society.

Refugee women

26.Situation of refugee women, in particular with regard to violence and access to work, education and health

Urban refugees in Cameroon are scattered among the local population in the cities of Yaoundé, Douala and Garoua, with the highest numbers being found in the two main cities. Of the refugee population, 46 per cent are women, 54 per cent are men, 16 per cent are children under the age of 17, and 2 per cent are persons over the age of 60.

Refugee women from friendly countries are particularly drawn to Cameroon as it is a welcoming, peaceful and hospitable land. Some engage in income-generating activities. All go about their business freely and calmly. The Ministry for the Promotion of Women and the Family encourages them to take part in activities such as those organized on the occasion of Days devoted to women, girls and the family. They are thus able to appreciate the peace they find in Cameroon and to exchange views with Cameroonian women about social and family conditions, the possibilities of joining together to find solutions to their specific problems as women, and their experiences.

Refugees benefit from special support in the areas of health, education and income generation. All refugees receive free health care, irrespective of gender.

Education grants are provided, irrespective of gender, for refugee children enrolled in primary, secondary and higher education and in occupational training centres.

As for income generation, a microcredit programme to promote income-generating activities is in place for refugees (both women and men). Their Cameroonian sisters have placed at their disposal free of charge vast expanses of land for cultivation; refugee women have also been brought into stock-raising projects.

Capacity-building measures are taken to reduce the vulnerability of refugee women to violence. Those who are victims of violence receive psychological and social support and are guided towards judicial structures.

Marriage and family relations

27.Age of marriage for girls and measures to eliminate early marriages

The provisions of the draft legislation enacting the Personal and Family Code set the age of marriage for girls at 18. As regards early and forced marriages, campaigns are mounted to make parents aware of the need to send girls to school, and educational chats are organized with girls to encourage them to report any such cases to the relevant services. Other measures to combat early and forced marriages include a mentoring structure for girls in the Centres for the Advancement of Girls and Women.

Forced marriages are punished by the Penal Code, as are early marriages under the draft legislation on the punishment of gender-based violence and discrimination.

Polygamy is not prohibited by the laws in force and varies in extent according to region and religion. Nowadays, levirate marriage is on the decline owing to a number of factors, including:

–consciousness-raising among women

–prevalence of HIV/AIDS

–involvement of ministers of religion in the conduct of widowhood rites

–poverty

–new awareness of men in the chieftaincies.

The way in which the problem of the choice of family home is resolved has changed in Cameroon. While it is true that the choice rests with the man, women are entitled by law to oppose that choice if it is detrimental to the life or interests of the family or the woman herself.

In addition to the draft legislation enacting the Personal and Family Code, which will extend this right to the two spouses, changes are already in evidence on the ground, thanks in particular to the contribution of members of the judiciary who treat husbands and wives on an equal footing.

This is the response of the Government of Cameroon to the issues and questions raised by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women with regard to the periodic report on implementation in the Republic of Cameroon of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Acronyms

ACAFEJAssociation Camerounaise des Femmes Juristes

ACPEEAssociation Camerounaise pour le Plein Epanouissement de l’Enfant

AECAfrican Economic Community

ALVFAssociation de Lutte contre les Violences faites aux Femmes

ARVAntiretroviral drugs

ASSEJAAssociation Enfants, Femmes et Avenir

AWAAfrican Women’s Association

AWDAfrican Women’s Day

BCCBehaviour change communication

CAREFProject on Building the Poverty-Reduction Capacity of Women’s Networks in the Republic of Cameroon

CNDHLNational Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms

CNLSNational Aids Control Committee

CPFFCentre for the Advancement of Women and the Family

DGSNNational Security Department

EIGEconomic interest group

ENAASÉcole Nationale des Assistants des Affaires Sociales

EOCEmergency obstetric care

EVFFamily life education

FGMFemale genital mutilation

FESADEWomen-Health-Development

GERGross enrolment ratio

HIPCHeavily Indebted Poor Countries

ICTInformation and Communication Technologies

IGAIncome-generating activities

ILOInternational Labour Organization

INTERPOL-NCBINTERPOL — National Central Bureau

IWDInternational Women’s Day

JIGJoint initiative group

MFImicrofinance institution

MINADERMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development

MINASMinistry of Social Affairs

MINCOFMinistry of the Status of Women

MINEDUBMinistry of Basic Education

MINEEMinistry of Energy and Water Resources

MINEFOPMinistry of Employment and Vocational Training

MINEPATMinistry of Economic Affairs, Planning and Regional Development

MINESECMinistry of Secondary Education

MINESUPMinistry of Higher Education

MINFIMinistry of Finance

MINIMIDTMinistry of Industry, Mines and Technological Development

MINJUSTICEMinistry of Justice

MINPMEESAMinistry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts

MINPROFFMinistry for the Promotion of Women and the Family

MINREXMinistry of External Relations

MINSANTEMinistry of Health

MINSEPMinistry of Sport and Physical Education

MINTSSMinistry of Labour and Social Security

NGOnon-governmental organization

PLHApeople living with HIV/AIDS

PMTCTprevention of mother-to-child transmission

PNANational Literacy Programme

PNDRTNational Roots and Tubers Development Programme

PNVBFNational Lowlands Development Programme

PNVRANational Agricultural Extension and Research Programme

RHReproductive health

STISexually transmitted infection

UNDPUnited Nations Development Programme

UNFPAUnited Nations Population Fund

UNIFEMUnited Nations Development Fund for Women

WIRAWomen in Research and Action

WOPAWomen’s Promotion and Assistance Association

WRWDWorld Rural Women’s Day

ZEPpriority education area

Circumciser showing a knife used for female circumcisionFormal handing over to the Minister of the knife used for female circumcisionThe Minister holding the knife presented to herPartnership agreement between the circumcisers and the authorities

Group photo of the Minister with the circumcisers\s