Fighting violence against women in Mauritania
Since childhood, Zeinebou Taleb Moussa has never tolerated injustice. This sensitivity has never left her.
As a midwife, she has been confronted with the suffering of women and girls: sexual violence, early marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM). These experiences had a profound impact on her and prompted her to become fully involved in the defense of human rights. Today, she is president of the Mauritanian Association for Maternal and Child Health (AMSME) and a member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
This fight is all the more urgent given that, according to the latest figures from the UNFPA, FGM still affects 64% of women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 and 45% of girls between the ages of 0 and 14, despite decades of awareness-raising. “The resistance of socio-cultural attitudes remains one of the biggest challenges,” says Zeinebou. “But every step forward, no matter how small, shows that change is possible.”
During Mauritania's latest UPR cycle, the country received 17 recommendations aimed at ensuring accountability for violence against women and girls, including female genital mutilation. These recommendations called for the criminalization of FGM in national law and the adoption of a comprehensive, multisectoral approach to combating the practice, including through the training of professionals and the implementation of awareness campaigns. In 2021, the state accepted all of these recommendations.
Thanks to the mobilization of civil society organizations and the involvement of religious and community leaders, progress has been made in certain pilot regions, with significant decreases in reported cases and growing awareness of the dangers associated with FGM.
AMSME has played a central role in this movement through its advocacy work at both the national and international levels. As part of this fight, the association has actively participated in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process by drafting alternative reports and taking part in pre-sessions. This involvement has enabled the voices of survivors and affected communities to be heard at international level. Several of its recommendations have been taken up by member states, helping to keep the issue of FGM at the heart of the national agenda.
These advocacy efforts are part of a broader movement at the national level. By the end of 2024, thanks to the mobilization of civil society organizations, in collaboration with local authorities and UN agencies such as UNFPA and UNICEF, several communities organized public declarations to abandon FGM. These ceremonies, marked by strong popular mobilization, brought together authorities, religious leaders, young people, and former excisers. They reflect a participatory mobilization and have led to the creation of monitoring committees responsible for raising awareness and following up on the commitments made.
"The UPR provides an opportunity for marginalized voices, such as those of rural women or survivors of violence, to be heard at the highest level.”
The training and pre-sessions organized by UPR Info strengthened her organization's advocacy capacity. ”It gave us a better understanding of the UPR mechanisms, strengthened our ability to make relevant recommendations, and expanded our network of allies," she explains.
For Zeinebou, advocacy must always remain close to communities. The UPR experience has shown the importance of collaboration between civil society organizations and the need for rigorous follow-up on recommendations. “It is not enough to produce reports; we must also maintain dialogue with the authorities and propose concrete solutions.”
By committing herself to the fight against FGM and all forms of violence against women, Zeinebou is protecting not only the integrity of today's girls, but also the future of generations to come.
This article is part of the series, ‘People Behind the UPR’. Click here to learn more!