UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 23) Senegal has introduced harsher penalties for all forms of violence against women, particularly female genital mutilation (Act No. 1999-05 of 29 January 1999). Awareness- raising campaigns on the consequences of excision have been run in the media and others have targeted religious and social leaders. Trends show a marked decrease in this practice with thousands of communities having publicly renounced it. Between 2009 and 2011, 4,452 out of 5,000 communities surveyed had abandoned excision as a result of the Community Capacity building Programme.

Para 24) In 2010, the Government commissioned a study to evaluate the implementation status of the Act of 1999 prohibiting excision. It highlighted the need for a new plan to hasten the end of female genital mutilation and generate awareness among the communities still practising it, with a view to totally eradicating it by 2015. Significant results have been achieved. Data from the Demographic and Health Survey and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey for 2010-2011 revealed a 25.7 per cent reduction in the national female genital mutilation prevalence rate. In 2012, a joint programme to combat gender-based violence and promote human rights was adopted.

Para 25) The second national action plan to eliminate excision (2012-2015) provided for the establishment of a national council, chaired by the Prime Minister, and a steering committee. Eleven regional committees, chaired by regional governors, were set up in the 12 affected regions. A human rights capacity-strengthening programme was designed to help them improve the effectiveness of their interventions. Similarly, women who perform excisions have been encouraged to retrain in other lines of business.

Para 26) The Government also encourages citizens to report cases of genital mutilation of girls. Article 32 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides that officials must inform the judicial authority if, during the performance of their duties, they become aware of criminal acts. Citizens and groups of individuals have the right to avail themselves of legal remedies to protect their rights and freedoms. In such cases, the courts rigorously apply the laws designed to eliminate all forms of violence against women.

Para 27) Legal advice centres use television programmes to inform the most vulnerable populations of their rights, while non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and women's associations use law shops to guide and assist women victims of violence with administrative, judicial, psychological, and social and health formalities, using various mechanisms and strategies.

Para 56) ... Senegal is focusing its efforts on communication with opinion leaders with a view to changing attitudes. The campaign has been successful. Professional excisers have been invited to turn to alternative income-generating activities in order to encourage them to abandon excision altogether. Moreover, 12 monitoring committees were set up in 2011 in areas of high prevalence and an empowerment programme for former excisers has been established.

Para 94) Senegal has drafted a new plan to eliminate excision 2012-2015 which must, by 2015, lead to its total elimination. Data from the Demographic and Health Survey and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2010-2011 has revealed that the national prevalence of the practice has declined to 25.7 per cent.

UN Compilation:
Para 29) CAT took note of the second national action plan to hasten the end of the practice of excision (2010-2015).

National Report:
Para 101) Gender parity at the primary education level has been achieved through a policy of promoting the education of girls, which is pursued through the Coordinating Committee for Action on Girls’ Education (CCIEF). The ratio is currently in favour of girls in primary schools.
Para 102) Under the second phase of the Project to Support the Education of Girls (PAEF), which is active in 149 educational facilities, including 27 lower secondary schools (collèges d’enseigement moyen) and upper secondary schools (lycées) across the country, the following actions have been taken: • Multiple awareness-raising campaigns on the easing of domestic work, gender-based violence and early marriages and pregnancies, through the implementation of a national and community-level communication plan; • Celebration every year of the National Day for the Education of Girls; • Establishment in June 2016 of a network of heads of private schools to support the actions of the Ministry of Education to promote girls’ education; • Provision of support to 122 school mothers’ associations, in the amount of 300,000 CFA francs per association, for the development of income-generating activities, with the transfer of 50 per cent of the profits to the account of the school management committee, to care for girls in difficulty; • Allocation of kits, educational materials and sanitary pads; • Organization of female leadership camps for women teachers with additional training in such areas as communication, education and the law, information and communication technology in education, and others; • Support for the organization of the “Miss Mathematics” and “Miss Science” competitions; • Preparation of a guide for the training of trainers in gender and a teacher’s manual on gender mainstreaming in teacher training benchmarks; • Gender training for the compilers of curriculum support materials and for mentoring and monitoring bodies; • Preparation of a training manual on gender-based violence in schools and conduct of a study on social and anthropological factors that impede girls’ access to education; • Adaptation of school construction standards to the specific needs of girls, including in the area of hygiene; • Provision of uniforms to all girls and boys in 122 schools sponsored by the support programme for female education and women’s empowerment for inclusive local development (PAEF-Plus) — 35,000 uniforms provided in 2015; • Allocation of bursaries to 971 school mothers’ associations in 2015 and 4,000 school mothers’ associations in 2016, at a rate of 30,000 CFA francs per schoolgirl at primary level and 50,000 CFA francs per schoolgirl at lower secondary level; • Distribution of awards to the top-achieving girls and organization of coping courses for girls in difficulty; • Organization of science summer camps; • Training of persons in positions of responsibility to ensure an effective response to issues of violence in schools.
Para 103) These efforts have had the following significant impacts: • The upswing in the gross enrolment rate demonstrates the improvement in primary schooling, where the proportion of girls has reached a high point of 93.86 per cent, compared to 81.10 per cent for boys; • The gender parity index is 1.16 in favour of girls; their dropout rate is 9.60 per cent, compared to 11.02 per cent for boys; and the transition rate from CM2 — the last year of primary school — to grade 6 — the first year of secondary school — is 65.38 per cent among girls.
Para 104) At the preschool level, the gross pre-primary enrolment rate was 17.80 per cent in 2016. It measured 19.20 per cent for girls, compared to 16.50 per cent for boys.

UN Compilation:
Para 56) The country team noted that equal numbers of girls and boys were attending and staying in school at the primary level, but that keeping girls in school at the secondary level and ensuring they could access vocational training remained a challenge.