33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

MALI GBV: There is a very high support for some traditional practices, including excision or dowry being (practiced by most ethnic groups, with the exception of the Tuareg) and early marriage. Despite a slight decrease in forced marriage rates, marriage with minors is still very common (one in two couples get married before the age of 18). The legal age for marriage in Mali is 16 years for girls and 18 for boys, however many young women are promised as brides even before age 16 according to traditional customs and to Sharia ; in rural areas and partly also in some urban areas, marriages are combined (this practice reflects the importance of establishing alliances between the various families). FGM are not forbidden by law, although if, the Government in 2002, established ‘the National Program to Fight the Practice of Excision. Many Malians still view FGM as a necessary ritual for young girls in the name of self-preservation, safe sexual life and healthy families; most FGM are carried out on girls between the ages of 6 months and 9 years ; almost two-thirds (61 %) of women aged 20-49 years were married or lived as such before the age of 18 16 . There are high rates of violence , including sexual violence , both witnessed and experienced during childhood and is common to think that a husband has the right to punish or abandon his wife in some cases (specially among men and women with low education); most of females reported having experienced physical or psychological violence, mainly inflicted by their husbands and most recent partners. A research shows that women with some income are at high risk of violence, more than women without revenue, maybe because they can be a trigger for men's use of IPV 17 . At present, there is no legislation regarding violence against women in Mali and most of the victims of violence domestic decides not to report because if social pressure or fear of retaliation, also police is reluctant to intervene in this situations. Terrorists and armed groups occupying parts of northern Mali violated the rights of local population, forcing women and girls to wear Islamic veil and flogged and publicly stoned women falsely accused of breaking the law. In addition, displaced women due to the lack of community-based protection mechanisms and the proximity of armed groups to population centres, making it particularly dangerous to access isolated water points and forests, faces violence such as collective rape or forced marriage. in some cases, also sexual slavery. 18 The National Government and the United Nations country team have worked together to train the national army, the police and the gendarmerie on conflict-related sexual violence 19 . 16 http s://ww w.google.it/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi5hOCXk_ vX AhVPzaQKHR8ZDD8QFgg4MAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usaid.gov%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fdocuments%2F 1 860%2FMali%2520Gender%2520Assessment%2520Addendum%2520Final.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3Bftfzvv4ICqMyVhP- h1D1 17 https ://ww w.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1864/12.01.2014.%20Gender%20Based%20Violence%20Engli sh%20factsheet.pdf 18 https://minusma.unmissions.org/en/impact-crisis-women-mali 19 http://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/countries/mali/