INFIBULATION: BONINO, NEW AND RARELY APPLIED LAW

A year since its implementation, the Italian law banning female genital mutilation practises "has not yet been applied much due to the change in legislature and the long electoral period, which did not allow the implementation of all the expected instruments," said EU Policies Minister Emma Bonino, who also promoted the international campaign against the genital mutilation of young girls, on commenting Italy's delay in implementing law number 7 of January 9, 2006. "The application guidelines, for example, will be made public and given to local authorities in February," she added during a convention on the matter, organised by 'Rosa nel Pugno'. Bonino continued by saying that this delay is however counterbalanced by the success of "campagna in Africa," hoping that "today's convention renew the urge to act quickly." With reference to the numbers, the minister highlighted how "in Italy the estimates indicate that 30,000 young girls are at risk," and that there's need for "a deep investigation on the matter." Bonino then recalled the importance that the communities of migrant women in Italy still have contact with people from their home country. "Often there are African communities in European cities that still practise infibulation even though it has been forbidden in their home country." According to the minister, the "strong point" of the international campaign against female genital mutilations re-launched by 'Rosa nel Pugno' is that "it has several players who are acting to deal with the phenomenon at its roots: society, institutions, government, the European Commission and UNICEF finally together."