Position Paper

Country: Republic of Honduras

Committee: The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women
Topic: Female Genial Mutilation and Cultural Divides
Delegate: Isabella Barreto Orellana
School: Cristo Salvador

“ (...)This is institutionalized hatred, this is social indifference. This must change”.- said Dra. Díaz Méndez, Project
Coordinator, Centro de Estudios de la Mujer-Honduras (CEM-H) regarding the violence that women worldwide are
suffering. Not only our public figures but our state as whole is against any kind of violence including genital mutilation.
Even if we do not have registered cases according to UNICEF of this practice we understand its severity, it is for this
reason that Honduras does not want to sit idly by and implement different modalities of protection for women. In 2008 we
submitted with other countries a draft resolution named “Ending female genital mutilation” and started a series of national
plans in our territory. For example the Special Prosecutor for the Protection of Women or SPP-MUJER is a
prosecutor in charge of investigating and prosecuting actions or acts or behaviors related to violence against women by
different means such as physical, sexual, patrimonial, economic, among others. others. Its objective is to represent, defend
and protect the Human Rights of women victims of gender violence. On the other hand, Honduras is applying the Beijing
Platform for Action and is proactive in programs seeking for gender equality. This had a great impact on our society
because it established government commitments to improve the quality of life for women. For example, the Honduran
government provided funds and organized campaigns on sexual harassment, violence against women and approximately
20 comprehensive centers were established for people in situations of economic and social instability. In addition, women
were assigned so that they can contact people who need to report attacks. A law to protect against harassment for women
and girls was also created throughout Honduras. Achieve a safer world for all women in the different cultures of the
world.For these actions and more, the government of Honduras would like to show its commitment on ending female
genial mutilation by having cooperative dialogue with all those states willing to contribute on the matter.

Apart from the efforts of each country, the UN had to take different measures, in the face of female mutilation, among
which we can highlight the Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women: in which the
declaration is established global women's rights, thus managing to promote gender equality and eliminate any type of
gender stereotypes. They also worked on the three pillars of 1. Non-discrimination, 2. State responsibility, and 3.
Substantive equality. Likewise, there have also been efforts to put an end to female genital mutilation, among other
practices that harm women, one of the initiatives was the realization of awareness campaigns at the national level, and the
application of sanctions to the perpetrators of this practice. , all of which are part of the Convention against Torture and
Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Declaration of the General Assembly on the elimination of
violence against women: declaration on the eradication of violence against women. Create an action plan for all
governments that describes the particular and general steps that each state must take to stop, confront and end this
violence against all women, one of the cases of violence discussed in this assembly was female genital mutilation .
Honduras was part of this assembly and is also proposing different alternatives to solve this issue that affects so many
women around the world.

The Republic of Honduras is proposing to implement plans to counteract violence against women and its various
practices, such as female mutilation, in order to achieve a safer world for the entire female community. One of the
solutions that we are proposing aims to help the independence and economic liberation of women, following different
stages that would be: ending the wage gap between men and women; promoting equity in access to resources; among
other means, all to help reduce inequality and promote women's rights. Likewise, this proposal also seeks how to put an
end to female mutilation. To achieve this, the following is proposed: 1. Question the discriminatory reasons for which
FGM is practiced; 2. Change traditions with the support of older generations; 3. Teach women that they have the right to
decide what happens in their bodies; 4. Talk about the risks and realities of FGM; 5. Disseminate that religion does not
require FGM; 6. Implement that female genital mutilation be prohibited. This proposal will be titled "FGM-zero" and
will be financed by the government of each country. Additionally, we are also proposing the plan "Attacking from the
root " which is based on the regulations for female genital mutilation, to ensure that this does not interfere with different
religions or cultures. This mediates different forms of protection. To begin with, we would be fighting some of the causes,
among which the following can be highlighted: gender inequality and working in areas of social and economic
empowerment of women. Then we are going to take measures against the cultures or religions that are affecting the
human rights of women, due to the fact that most of these girls or women do not agree with genital mutilation being
performed on them; for this reason, mediated such as fines or sanctions will be taken if necessary; all this with the help of
the police of each nation. Funded by Unicef or the United Nations Children's Fund.
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