Violence against girls.

Violence against girls in Africa is the theme of an international policy conference in Addis Ababa 11-12 May. The meeting, organised by the Ethiopia-based African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) at the United Nations Conference Centre in the Ethiopian capital, will explore some of the most urgent issues facing girls and young women within the context of the family and the community and at school. Topics for discussion include early marriage and the associated risk of contracting Hiv/Aids, child-to-child violence, sexual exploitation, female genital cutting and the increasing use of sexual violence as an instrument of war. The meeting, which will be attended by policy makers, international representatives, human rights activists, African dignitaries and African youth, follows a similar gathering in Addis Ababa two years ago on the theme The African child and the family. The two-day conference will be followed on 13 May by a separate meeting of childrens, womens and human rights organisations, also in Addis Ababa, on similar themes. For full details see the ACPF website www.africanchildforum.org/intpolicy2006.asp.