With regard to female genital mutilation, he had not attributed such practices to any government policy, but had simply recommended that it be combated more actively.
In this context, EWL refers to practices that directly target the girl-child, justified and attributed to religious and/or cultural beliefs, such as female genital mutilation (FGM).
These harmful practices, including those attributed to customs and traditions, such as female genital mutilation and allegations of the practice of witchcraft, are barriers to the full exercise by the affected persons of the right enshrined in article 15, paragraph 1 (a).