Support for Female Circumcision Declining in Egypt

August 3, 2009 Story originally posted July 9, 2009 New research finds the practice of female circumcision is losing support in Egypt, reported Voice of America (VOA). Though the Egyptian government banned female circumcision in the 1990s and strengthened the restriction in 2007 after a high-profile case where a 12-year-old girl died after the ritual, female circumcision is still widespread, says Ann Way, a researcher with the organization Measure DHS, which has been collecting information on the practice since 1995. The government ban, along with the well-publicized deaths, led some people - to start questioning the practice. Interestingly, fewer wealthy girls and women currently have the practice performed on them, stated VOA. Only about a third of girls in the wealthiest 20 percent of Egypt’s population will be circumcised by the time they’re 18. In contrast, in the poorest 20 percent, about three-quarters of the girls will end up circumcised.