http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070628/wl_africa_afp/egyptwomencircumcision

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt on Thursday finally banned all female circumcision, [/b]the widely-practised removal of the clitoris which just days ago cost the life of a 12-year-old girl.

Officially the practice, which affects both Muslim and Christian women in Egypt and goes back to the time of the pharoahs, was banned in 1997 but doctors were allowed to operate "in exceptional cases".

On Thursday, Health Minister Hatem al-Gabali decided to ban every doctor and member of the medical profession, in public or private establishments, from carrying out a clitoridectomy, a ministry press official told AFP.

Any circumcision "will be viewed as a violation of the law and all contraventions will be punished," said the official, adding that it was a "permanent ban".

[b]A survey in 2000 said the practice was carried out on 97 percent of the country's women.

In the latest fatality, 12-year-old Bedur Ahmed Shaker was taken by her mother to a private clinic in Minya, a town on the Nile south of Cairo, for the operation. She died before she could be transferred to hospital.

Her mother accused the woman doctor of negligence, charging that her daughter's death was linked to the anaesthetic and not the removal of the clitoris, for which she had paid 50 pounds (nearly nine dollars). Police have arrested both women.

Which kain yeye story be this? We have not removed the tree trunk in our eyes, we want to complain that there's a splinter in another person's eye. Please come and join the fight against FMG in Nigeria(world headquarters) and stop lavishing pity on Egypt that is yet to catch up with us in the number of circumcised females daily.

dem still dey circumcise babes for naija?

its worse in egypt by far. anyway, i think they need to stop the practice on men and women

Very pitiful indeed.the most baffling thing is that i dnt know the advantage of this dastardly act on humanity.it has caused more harm than good and to think that despite the awareness of the dangers involved pple still engage in the practice and still pay for it with their hard earned money.Africans are their own worst enemy!

at least Egyptians get it done in the hospital. In africa it is done locally!

Abiooo but Egypt is still Africa.Cradle of civilization they say.
how come they dnt knw how uncivilised female circumcision is

what makes it uncivilised? Who determines what is civilised and what is not? abeg make we hear word.
Whenever the white man starts telling us something, we shiver and start to change our ways. If the white man decides tomorrow that it is the right thing to circumcise people, you will all jump on the bandwagon again.

in the same manner, I want to advocate that women should stop having children because it is barbaric and causes too much pain. It's a primitive act to expect women to go through such torture!!!

who forces women to have children? shouldnt it be a matter of choice? being mandated to do it is what is dehumanizing and barbaric! would u hold the same view if u were force to cut off ur small toe?

dudu-bobo:

what makes it uncivilised? Who determines what is civilised and what is not? abeg make we hear word.
Whenever the white man starts telling us something, we shiver and start to change our ways. If the white man decides tomorrow that it is the right thing to circumcise people, you will all jump on the bandwagon again.

in the same manner, I want to advocate that women should stop having children because it is barbaric and causes too much pain. It's a primitive act to expect women to go through such torture!!!

Its so beneath me to engage in a war of words especialy in this forum.
Bottomline,u re African,If or when u have female children,see to it that they all get circumcised.If not shame on u!

I do not support FMG. I must say however that these caucasians self proclaimed white men always have a way of making african things look BLACK. They've painted us black to the extent that even a pan African is calling himself dudu-bobo. Accepting the nature of BLACKNESS that the self proclaimed WHITE MAN has hammered down our brains for century.

I hear some people claim that they are black and proud. Not knowing that that is what the enemy wants you to believe.

My brother, dudu-bobo, look at yourself very well and you will see that you are not dudu.

See Child labour that they keep complaining of in Africa. All those 13 year old boys in footbal camps and 15 year old girls on modelling runways, what are they?
All those 5 year old actors and 7 year old singers what are they? Because these have been permitted by the "white people" then it's good.

Anyway, as I said before, FMG is bad. And it is condemned by everyone because it may have originated from Africa. Abortion is okay and they are still debating pro-life and pro-choice because it originated among the caucasians.

God save Africa.

thank you denex for correcting me. respect bro

YES O
GOD SAVE MY FATHER AND MOTHERS LAND

From Denex

Which kain yeye story be this? We have not removed the tree trunk in our eyes, we want to complain that there's a splinter in another person's eye. Please come and join the fight against FMG in Nigeria(world headquarters) and stop lavishing pity on Egypt that is yet to catch up with us in the number of circumcised females daily.

Denex knocking down Nigeria to absolve Arab Egypt. This is what Arab cultural supremacism does to  Muslims.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_mutilation

STATISTICS:
The countries where FGC is commonly practiced were identified by the US State Department.[43] other information in this section is from Skaine (2005), Appendix I.[17]


Burkina Faso (71.6% prevalence, Type II)
A law prohibiting FGC was enacted in 1996 and went into effect in February 1997. Even before this law, however, a presidential decree had set up the National Committee against excision and imposed fines on people guilty of excising girls and women. The new law includes stricter punishment. Several women excising girls have been handed prison sentences.[44]

Central African Republic (43.4% prevalence, Type I and II)
In 1996, the President issued an Ordinance prohibiting FGC throughout the country. It has the force of national law. Any violation of the Ordinance is punishable by imprisonment of from one month and one day to two years and a fine of 5,100 to 100,000 francs (approximately US$8-160). No arrests are known to have been made under the law.

Côte d'Ivoire ( 44.5% prevalence, Type II)
A December 18, 1998 law provides that harm to the integrity of the genital organ of a woman by complete or partial removal, excision, desensitization or by any other procedure will, if harmful to a women's health, be punishable by imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of 360,000 to two million CFA Francs (approximately US$576-3,200). The penalty is five to twenty years incarceration if the victim dies and up to five years' prohibition of medical practice, if this procedure is carried out by a doctor.

Djibouti (90-98% prevalence, Type II)
FGC was outlawed in the country's revised Penal Code that went into effect in April 1995. Article 333 of the Penal Code provides that persons found guilty of this practice will face a five year prison term and a fine of one million Djibouti francs (approximately US$5,600).

Egypt (78-97% prevalence, Type I, II and III)
Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population has banned all forms of female genital cutting since 2007. The ministry's ban order declared it is 'prohibited for any doctors, nurses, or any other person to carry out any cut of, flattening or modification of any natural part of the female reproductive system'. Islamic authorities in the nation also stressed that Islam opposes female circumcision. The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Ali Gomaa, said that it is "Prohibited, prohibited, prohibited."[45] [46] The June 2007 Ministry ban eliminated a loophole that allowed girls to undergo the procedure for health reasons. [47] There had previously been provisions under the Penal Code involving "wounding" and "intentional infliction of harm leading to death," as well as a ministerial decree prohibiting FGC. In December 1997, the Court of Cassation (Egypt's highest appeals court) upheld a government banning of the practice providing that those who did not comply would be subjected to criminal and administrative punishments. This law had proved ineffective and in a survey in 2000, a study found that 97% of the country's population still practiced FGC. There had been press reports on the prosecution of at least 13 individuals under the Penal Code, including doctors, midwives and barbers, accused of performing FGC that resulted in hemorrhage, shock and death. In light of the widespread practice of FGC, even after the ban in 1997, some Egyptian villages decided to voluntarily give up the practice, as was the case with Abou Shawareb, which vowed in July of 2005 to end the practice.


Eritrea (90-95% prevalence, Type I, II and III)
Eritrea has outlawed all forms of female genital cutting since 2007[48]. There have been no arrests made yet under the new law.


Ghana (9-15% prevalence, Type I,II and III)
In 1989, the head of the government of Ghana, President Rawlings, issued a formal declaration against FGC and other harmful traditional practices. Article 39 of Ghana's Constitution also provides in part that traditional practices that are injurious to a person's health and well being are abolished. There is the opinion by some that the law has driven the practice underground.


Guinea (98.6% prevalence, Type I, II and III)
FGC is illegal in Guinea under Article 265 of the Penal Code. The punishment is hard labor for life and if death results within 40 days after the crime, the perpetrator will be sentenced to death. No cases regarding the practice under the law have ever been brought to trial. Article 6 of the Guinean Constitution, which outlaws cruel and inhumane treatment, could be interpreted to include these practices, should a case be brought to the Supreme Court. A member of the Guinean Supreme Court is working with a local NGO on inserting a clause into the Guinean Constitution specifically prohibiting these practices.

Indonesia (No national prevalence figures avail., Type I and IV)
Officials are preparing to release a decree banning doctors and paramedics from performing FGC. FGC is still carried out extensively in Indonesia, the worlds largest Muslim nation. Azrul Azwar, The director general of community health, stated that, "All government health facilities will also be instructed to spread information about the decision as well as the redundancy of female circumcision."[49]


Nigeria (25.1% prevalence, Type I, II and III)
There is no federal law banning the practice of FGC in Nigeria. Opponents of these practices rely on Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that states "no person shall be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment" as the basis for banning the practice nationwide. A member of the House of Representatives has drafted a bill, not yet in committee, to outlaw this practice.


Senegal (5-20% prevalence, Type II and III)
A law that was passed in January 1999 makes FGC illegal in Senegal. President Diouf had appealed for an end to this practice and for legislation outlawing it. The law modifies the Penal Code to make this practice a criminal act, punishable by a sentence of one to five years in prison. A spokesperson for the human rights group RADDHO (The African Assembly for the Defense of Human Rights) noted in the local press that "Adopting the law is not the end, as it will still need to be effectively enforced for women to benefit from it."


Somalia (90-98% prevalence, Type I and III)
There is no national law specifically prohibiting FGC in Somalia. There are provisions of the Penal Code of the former government covering "hurt", "grievous hurt" and "very grievous hurt" that might apply. In November 1999, the Parliament of the Puntland administration unanimously approved legislation making the practice illegal. There is no evidence, however, that this law is being enforced.


Sudan (91% prevalence, Type I,II and III)
Currently there is no law forbidding FGC, although Sudan was the first country to outlaw it in 1946, under the British. Type III was prohibited under the 1925 Penal Code, with less severe forms allowed. Outreach groups have been trying to eradicate the practice for 50 years, working with NGO's, religious groups, the government, the media and medical practitioners. Arrests have been made but no further action seems to have taken place.


Tanzania (17.6% prevalence, Type II and III)
Section 169A of the Sexual Offences Special Provisions Act of 1998 prohibits FGC. Punishment is imprisonment of from five to fifteen years or a fine not exceeding 300,000 shillings (approximately US$380) or both. There have been some arrests under this legislation, but no reports of prosecutions yet.


Togo (12% prevalence, Type II)
On October 30, 1998, the National Assembly unanimously voted to outlaw the practice of FGC. Penalties under the law can include a prison term of two months to ten years and a fine of 100,000 francs to one million francs (approximately US$160 to 1,600). A person who had knowledge that the procedure was going to take place and failed to inform public authorities can be punished with one month to one year imprisonment or a fine of from 20,000 to 500,000 francs (approximately US$32 to 800).


Uganda (<5% prevalence, Type I and II)
There is no law against the practice of FGC in Uganda. In 1996, however, a court intervened to prevent the performance of this procedure under Section 8 of the Children Statute, enacted that year, that makes it unlawful to subject a child to social or customary practices that are harmful to the child's health.

Africa