Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 147: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the contact he has had with the Nigerian Embassy regarding the practice of female genital mutilation in that country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5407/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) regrettably occurs in many countries throughout the world. Irish Aid is a member of the Joint Consortium on Gender Based Violence, which aims to promote a more coherent and co-ordinated response to gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation, amongst its members, who include Irish human rights, humanitarian and development organisations, as well as government departments. In the White Paper on Irish Aid, the Government has made a commitment to working against gender-based violence as a matter of priority.

FGM has been prohibited by law in a number of Nigerian states and the Government of Nigeria publicly opposes the practice. Neither I nor my Department have discussed this issue with the Embassy of Nigeria. However, I note that the Nigerian Ambassador to Ireland has been very clear in communicating the position of her government in regard to FGM. Moreover, in January 2009 the Ambassador of Ireland to Nigeria met with the Nigerian Federal Minister for Justice and Attorney General to discuss FGM, and the Minister stressed that his Government strongly opposed and vehemently condemned the practice.

When the human rights situation in Nigeria was reviewed under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva earlier this month, Ireland took the opportunity to raise the issue of FGM, among a number of other issues, with the Nigerian Government. In our statement, we welcomed the steps taken by Nigeria to combat FGM, notably through the adoption of the Child Rights Act (2003). We also asked the Nigerian Government what further legal, administrative and educational measures it intended to implement, at federal and at state level, to eliminate FGM. Finally, we encouraged the Nigerian Government to undertake an awareness raising campaign about the practice.