目的
女性性器切除（FGM : female genital mutilation）はアフリカを中心に現在でも社会的慣習として広く行われており、瘢痕からの分娩時出血などによる妊産婦死亡の危険性増加やリプロダクティブヘルスの低下要因になることから、MDGsにある「妊産婦の健康の改善」の弊害要因の一つである。また、精神的観点からは女性へのバイオレンスとして捉えることができる。そこで、本研究では、公表されている保健統計を用いてアフリカ諸国のFGM実施率の状況や最近の動向を分析し把握することを目的とした。
方法
WHOの報告書「Eliminating female genital mutilation」FGMの実施が報告されている28ヶ国のうち、2002年以降に最新のDemographic and Health Survey (DHS）が英語で公表されているアフリカの国で、直近の年のDHSと概ね10年前のDHSとの比較が可能な国（タンザニア、ナイジェリア、エチオピア、エリトリア、ケニア、エジプトの6ヶ国）のDHSを対象とし、データを比較した。
結果
ナイジェリアを除く5ヶ国ではFGM実施率は低下傾向にあり、都市部よりも農村部の方のFGM実施率が高かった。これらの国では、若年層ほど減少が大きい傾向がみられた。ナイジェリアのFGM実施率は、農村部より都市部で高く、教育レベルが低い女性のFGM実施率が低いなど、近代化とFGM実施率には必ずしも関連は見られなかった。また、同じ国でも地域や民族による実施率の差異が大きく、地域での社会的文化的慣習としての根深さも示唆された。
結論
多くの国において、直近の報告での若年者でのFGM実施率が低下しており、実施率は将来さらに減少傾向になると予想された。今後母親となる若年者への健康教育やコミュニティーへのアプローチがFGMの更なる減少に効果的であると予想された。しかしながら、実施率の傾向は国によっては特徴的であり、その対策には社会的・文化的な根深い要因を考慮すべきであると示唆された。

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One of the major tasks of the present International Law is the protection of human rights in the community of nations. It is after the second world war that the importance of international protection of human rights was widely recognized. Before the war the protection of human rights was mostly depended upon the internal legal systems of individual States. The United Nations has made great efforts for the advancement of international protection of human rights. The General Aseembly adopted "the Universal Declaration of Human Rights" in 1948. It also adopted the "the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Economic Rights", "the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights" and "the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights" on 16 December 1966. These Covenants and the Optional Clause came into force on 3 January 1967 and 23 March 1967 respectively. Presently these "International Bills of Rights" are the most important documents for the protection of human rights. The United Nations has adopted many other declarations and conventions on human rights in various fields. The UN Specialized Agencies such as the International Labour Organization and the UNESCO have also adopted conventions for the protection of human rights in the areas of their mandates. The regional organizations such as the Council of Europe, the Organization of American States, and the Organization of African Unity have also made significant contributions for the protection of human rights. These organizations have adopted regional conventions on human rights and operated their own systems for the implementation of the conventions. In spite of the large number of human rights conventions adopted and brought into force, still the present state of international protection of human rights is not satisfactory. The weakest point is in the systems of implementation of the conventions. Although the committees have been set up by the conventions in order to secure the compliance of the contracting States, these committees usually have no power to give binding decisions. The committees can examine the reports submitted by the contracting States on the implementation of the conventions. But their opinions on the reports are not binding. A committee may specially be empowered to receive complaints of the contracting States on the violation of a convention by other contracting States, or the complaints of individuals whose rights assured by a convention have been injured by a contracting State. Yet what the committee can do on the complaints is to lead to "friendly solutions" or to make recommendations. The Courts of Human Rights under the conventions adopted by the Council of Europe and the Organization of American States can make binding decisions. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is given the same power. Therefore, they are rather exeptional. The systems of the protection of human rights in the international community should develope to the same level as these regional systems. The attitudes of the Japanese government towards the international protection of human rights may generally be summarized as not positive. The government has not adhered to many human rights convention on such as the prevention of "Genocide, Apartheit, Discriminations, Tortures or the convention prohibiting discriminations in the field of education adopted by the UNESCO. It has not recognized the power of the Human Rights Committee of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to receive complaints of other contracting States or individuals against Japan. The judiciary is not inclined to apply human rights conventions to the cases brought before the courts. Yet the influences of human rights conventions are observed in enactments or amendments of legislations as well as in public activities for the promotion of human rights.

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