At a summit meeting in Maputo, the 53 member states of the African Union (AU) adopted the protocol for the rights of women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) into the 1986 African Charter of Human and Civil Rights. In the comprehensive catalog of protected rights, under the section "Elimination of Harmful Practices" (Article 5) the goal of fighting against every form of FGM is explicitly adopted.

The governments participating in the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995 adopted the so-called "Beijing Declaration". In view of the fact that men and women continue to be treated unequally and in view of the goal of realizing the human rights of women and girls as an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, a Platform for Action for the Empowerment of Women was adopted. Under the heading "Violence against women", the Platform for Action addresses all forms of physical, sexual and psychological violence against women, including marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, and calls on governments, but also international organizations and non-governmental organizations, to take comprehensive protective measures.
Under the section "Girls", it is explicitly stated that girls from the earliest stage of life onward, during their childhood and into adulthood, are discriminated against by widespread harmful attitudes and practices.

The theme of "Violence against women" was discussed at the second United Nations Conference on Human Rights in Vienna 1993. The Viennese Declaration includes the explicit condemnation of violence against women. It established that " The human rights of women and of the girl-child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights." Attached to the Human rights conference, the UN adopted in 1993 a "Declaration on the elimination of violence against women" in which, among other things, Genital mutilation and other traditional practices that are harmful and detrimental to women, as public and private violence against women, are defined as violations of human rights.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was concluded with a view to establishing that discrimination against women violates the principles of equal rights and respect for human dignity. Article 3 of this Convention provides that States Parties shall take all appropriate measures, including legislative measures, in all fields, particularly in the political, social, economic and cultural fields, to ensure the full development and advancement of women. This ensures that she can exercise and enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal footing with a man. The Convention thus goes beyond the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.