RELIGION AND MEDICINE COMBINE TO MUTILATE WOMEN

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RELIGION AND MEDICINE COMBINE TO MUTILATE WOMEN

Time to end the torture, gender inequality, violation of reproductive rights and

health rights and violence against women that results from female genital

mutilation

 

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/327/7415/580-c

 

BMJ 2003;327:580 (13 September)

News roundup

Sudan to tighten law on female genital mutilation

Addis Ababa Peter Moszynski

 

 

 

Following a recent symposium in Khartoum, Sudan, on the abolition of female

genital mutilation to ensure safe motherhood, Sudan’s government has agreed to

take further measures to abolish the practice.

Although the practice was originally outlawed in 1946 and again in 1974, the

United Nations has pointed out that " Sudan has the highest prevalence of female

genital mutilation in the world. "

During the symposium, organised by Sudan’s ministry of health in conjunction

with Unicef and sponsored by the Japanese government, the health minister Ahmed

Osman Bilal expressed his government’s commitment to eradicate the practice at

all levels. He stated that it was now considered a prohibited act for all

medical practitioners.

He endorsed a recommendation to publicise and implement the ban and to introduce

stiff penalties for those who continued to perform the operations.

Ms Linda Osarenren, senior programme officer with the UN inter-African

committee, said that northern Sudan had between 70% and 90% prevalence of the

" worst form of female genital mutilation: type III infibilation, " which involves

the complete removal of all external genitalia.

Ms Osarenren told the BMJ that the situation had improved from a year ago, when

certain Sudanese health professionals had been actively recommending the health

benefits of the practice and some religious leaders had been calling for the

legalisation of the practice.

The inter-African committee believes that although it will be difficult,

significant progress can be achieved. A spokesman said: " In some areas where

there have been intensive intervention programmes, it has gone down to only 51%

prevalence. "

Ms Osarenren said: " One of the greatest problems in eradicating the practice is

that people have the mistaken impression that FGM [female genital mutilation] is

a religious injunction and if you touch a people’s religion you touch their

soul. " She explained that there was also a paradox with the practice " because

the procedure is carried out in an atmosphere of love and celebration. "

Speaking at the symposium, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, Mukesh

Kapila, said the practice was a " clear indicator of Sudanese society’s broad

condoning of gender inequality, violence against women and children, and the

violation of women’s reproductive and health rights, as well as children’s

rights. "

 

 

 

 

 

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