[violence] genital mutilation

Ivory Coast: 9 Women Sentenced For Female Genital Mutilation

Nine Ivorian women aged 46 to 91 years were convicted of female genital mutilation and complicity of female circumcision, at Katiola, a town 400 km from Abidjan. In February they had excised thirty girls in a ritual ceremony. At the end of this first trial for excision, they got a one-year sentence and a fine of 50,000 CFA francs (75 Euros). However, these women will not serve their prison sentences because of their age, according to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA).

West Africa: 'Mauritanian Muslim imams initiate rare ban on female circumcision'

DAKAR - Human rights campaigners who have been struggling for years to eliminate female genital mutilation (FGM) in West Africa got a boost this week as news emerged that a group of Muslim clerics and scholars in Mauritania had declared a fatwa, or religious decree, against the practice.

Indonesia: Female genital mutilation persists despite ban

Though the Indonesian government banned female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) four years ago, experts say religious support for the practice is more fervent than ever, particularly in rural communities. A lack of regulation since the ban makes it difficult to monitor, but medical practitioners say FGM/C remains commonplace for women of all ages in this emerging democracy of 240 million - the world’s largest Muslim nation.

Iraq: Female Genital Mutilation Must be Outlawed

The dissemination of a Human Rights Watch report on 16 June 2010 on FGM, and the reaction by activists and NGOs to the report, ignited a controversy about the issue. Also, in the last couple of days and on 6 July 2010, the Association of Islamic Clerics in Kurdistan issued a “fatwa” on FGM in which parents [or guardians] of girls were given the choice of whether to genitally mutilate their girls.

Senegal: Six months' jail for female circumcisers

A Senegalese court sentenced two women to six months in jail Thursday for circumcising a baby girl, rights watchdog Raddho said of a case that sparked clashes between religious protesters and police.

Sudan: Backlash in the fight against FGM

Women’s and children’s rights activists in the Sudan protest the annulment of an article that prohibits FGM/C.

Sierra Leone: Chiefs ban genital cutting for girls under 18

Village chiefs, community members and women who perform female genital cutting have signed an agreement stating that girls in northern Kambia district will not undergo genital mutilation – or ‘cutting’ – before age 18.

Sierra Leone: Quatre journalistes Sierra-Léonaises séquestrées par des femmes favorables à l’excision

D’après l’ONU, 94% des femmes et des jeunes filles de Sierra Leone ont subi une mutilation génitale.

Sierra Leone: FGM supporters kidnap four women journalists

The abduction and intimidation of four women journalists took place in the eastern city of Kenema on 6 February by members of a women’s secret society that practices female genital mutilation (FGM).

International: Website dedicated to abandonment of FGM/C

This new website will be a resource to share documents and information about donor-supported work with a particular focus on sharing lessons learned and programs that support communities worldwide to enable them to abandon FGM/C within a generation.