September 23, 2011
Daily Nation
Felista Wangari
Growing up in Narok the 1980s, Shinina Shani knew that every girl underwent the cut.
It was the rite that transformed girls into women, and which every proud Maasai girl went through.
However, Ms Shani’s Christian parents refused to give in when she begged them to allow her to be circumcised in order to fit in with her peers.
She got used to being referred to as Entito, a term which means girl, but when used to refer to an uncut woman is insulting.
Her father, too, had to bear contempt for allowing his daughter to escape the cut.
Even in the backdrop of the recently-passed law that prohibits female genital mutilation, not much has changed as cases of female circumcision in Narok South remain high.
Ms Shani, who now works as a crusader against the rite in the area, puts the female circumcision prevalence at over 90 per cent.
“The few girls who choose to avoid it are shunned and referred to as cowards and fake Maasais. They believe it is a bad omen to remain uncut and have children,” she explains.
Such beliefs keep a practice that was banned by presidential decree four times — the first time being in 1982 — alive.
Loopholes
Moreover, laws such as the Children’s Act, the Sexual Violence Act and the Domestic Violence Act, which aim to protect girls and women against harmful cultural practices, have had little, if any, effect on the custom.
However, Mount Elgon MP Fred Kapondi, when moving the motion, said that the existing laws had loopholes that allowed the practice to continue.
It is those loopholes that the Bill seeks to seal and top female circumcision.
Ms Shani applauds the law as timely.
Pre-teen and teenage girls in communities where it is still practised are getting ready for the peak circumcision season, which occurs during school holidays in December.
However, she is wary of the enforcement of the law, which will be key in stamping out the entrenched custom.
“Many laws have been enacted that could be used to protect women, but their people remain ignorant about them. Even some of the law enforcers are ignorant about the legislation that hinders implementation.”
“The government must make sure that information about this law reaches the communities concerned and that the law enforcers are also aware of the law and implement it. Otherwise, it will be just another law without results,” she explains.
Once it becomes fully operational, the law will protect women who have not undergone the cut from people who drive them to the cut with insults and discrimination.
A quarter of circumcised women surveyed in 2008/9 mentioned social acceptance as one reason they do it.
Under the new law, knowing that a woman is being circumcised and keeping quiet about it could land you in jail.
Other offences under the law include performing the cut, using one’s premises for the rite, aiding and abetting the performance of the cut, possession of tools to practice female circumcision, and taking a Kenyan to be circumcised outside the country.
Unlike the previous laws, which protected girls and women from general harmful cultural practices, the new law specifically targets female circumcision, defines it, and outlines the offences and penalties.
One found guilty of a crime under this law will be fined a minimum of Sh300,000 and a maximum of Sh500,000 while a jail term will last from three years to a maximum of seven years.
While praising the law as a harsh deterrent if implemented to the letter, campaigners maintain that such a deeply-rooted tradition cannot be stopped using the law alone.
They argue that the first approach should be to create awareness and persuade communities to abandon the unnecessary, risky and illegal cultural practice.
“We prefer a non-confrontational approach so as not to strain the girls’ relationship with their community, and it usually works. However, if dialogue fails, then the law can come in to protect the girl,” says Grace Senewa, a World Vision a project coordinator in Narok.
In a statement after the law was enacted on September 7, First Lady Lucy Kibaki, while calling on law enforcers to implement it strictly once it became fully operational, noted that legal bans alone could not change customs and cautioned that the law could drive the practice underground.
The campaigns against female circumcision preferred by some non-governmental organisations appear to have borne some fruit.
Data from the 2008/9 KDHS shows there has been a decline in the national prevalence from 38 per cent in 1998 and 32 per cent in 2003, to 27 per cent in 2008. This decline rises with the education level of the women involved.
Girls who have at least a secondary school education are less likely to be circumcised (19 per cent), as compared to women with no education, of whom 54 per cent have undergone the cut.
Among the Somalis, where 98 per cent of women report having had infibulation — the most severe form of the cut — female circumcision is seen as a religious requirement and most of the women believe it should continue.
Circumcision is also prevalent among the Kisii and the Maasai with a prevalence of 96 per cent and 73 per cent respectively.
Campaigns against female circumcision show that the trend has been to cut the girls when they are younger as almost half of the girls between 15 and 19 years were circumcised before they turned 10 years.
Grace Senewa, says that a campaign to promote an alternative rite of passage that does not involve circumcision has attracted more girls in Narok North over the years.
Girls who opt for the alternative rite of passage are taught the harmful effects of circumcision and persuaded to reject it.
One such rite was held last week at Olesito Primary School in Narok North, where 400 girls aged between 10 and 15 years graduated.
This was an increase from 70 girls who took part in the initial ceremony five years ago.
The ceremony was used to educate the people about the dangers and the new stringent legal implications of female circumcision.
Ms Senewa says that unfortunately, some girls who escape the cut are forcibly circumcised during childbirth.
“For such cases we are grateful that women can use the law to seek protection and justice,” she says.
To read the full article on the Daily Nation website, click here
This blog posts any and all news related to Female Genital Cutting (FGC). It tracks only content that discusses FGC as a main subject. The page is designed as a resource for researchers and those who want to keep up to date on this issue without slogging through google alerts or news pages. Original authors are responsible for their content. To suggest content please write to fgcblogger@gmail.com. FGC is also called female genital mutilation or FGM; FGM/C; or female circumcision.
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Monday, September 26, 2011
Female Circumcision in Khartoum Increased to 65.4 Percent
August 14, 2011
Sudan Vision Daily
Khalida Alias
Secretary General of the National Council for Child Welfare, Gamar Habbani said that the rate of female circumcision in Khartoum reached 65.4 percent, according to the result of the medical survey, indicating that there are 48 centers at the Ministry of Social Development.
Addressing the training workshop to get rid of female circumcision, Habbani said that the increase in the proportion of female circumcision in Khartoum is due to emigration from the countryside to the capital, pointing to efforts to combat this practice, pointing out that UNICEF gives special attention to fight female circumcision in Sudan.
For his part, member of the Islamic Fiqh Academy, Mohammad Hashim Karar affirmed that the Islamic Law stressed the need to leave the girl unharmed.
Director of Reproductive Health, Dr. Sawsan Al-Taher tackled psychological and sexual harm caused by female genital mutilation.
To read the full article on the Sudan Daily Vision website, click here
Sudan Vision Daily
Khalida Alias
Secretary General of the National Council for Child Welfare, Gamar Habbani said that the rate of female circumcision in Khartoum reached 65.4 percent, according to the result of the medical survey, indicating that there are 48 centers at the Ministry of Social Development.
Addressing the training workshop to get rid of female circumcision, Habbani said that the increase in the proportion of female circumcision in Khartoum is due to emigration from the countryside to the capital, pointing to efforts to combat this practice, pointing out that UNICEF gives special attention to fight female circumcision in Sudan.
For his part, member of the Islamic Fiqh Academy, Mohammad Hashim Karar affirmed that the Islamic Law stressed the need to leave the girl unharmed.
Director of Reproductive Health, Dr. Sawsan Al-Taher tackled psychological and sexual harm caused by female genital mutilation.
To read the full article on the Sudan Daily Vision website, click here
Labels:
female circumcision,
female genital mutilation,
FGM,
Sudan,
UNICEF
Friday, September 23, 2011
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING
Date of event: 17 October 2011 - 19 October 2011
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
The main purpose of this conference is to review existing knowledge and identify knowledge gaps with regards to the health consequences of FGM/C and their treatment, as well as review of community based interventions against FGM/C and their efficacy. The conference will also help in strengthening of leadership and research capacity of FGM/C issues in Africa by a) creating a network and a platform for a network of researchers based in African countries, and b) explore the possibilities of establishing an African Centre for research and leadership training for the abandonment of female genital cutting.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Gambia: Stakeholders Discuss UNFPA/Unicef Programme On FGM
Aminata Sanyang
September 22, 2011
Banjul, Gambia
Stakeholders from some West African countries and the United States of America Wednesday began a three-day training on monitoring and evaluation of the joint UNFPA/UNICEF programme on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at Jerma Beach Hotel and Resort in Kololi.
The purpose of the training is to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of the FGM/C programme as well as develop the capacity and accountability of the countries in West Africa.
The West African countries represented at the training include The Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau and Guinea Conakry.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Reuben Mboge, the resident coordinator of the UN Systems in The Gambia spoke on the joint programme of UNFPA/UNICEF.
He said: "As monitoring and evaluation is everyone's business once you are involved in the project implementation irrespective of your position in the organisation, the importance is the need to know where we are in terms of achieving results and making impacts." He noted that the training would serve as an experience-sharing forum and urged the participants to make best use of the opportunity.
Nafisatou Jobe spoke on the UN Resolution 54/7 ending FGM. She went on to dilate on the elements contributing to ending FGM/C practice, saying that it is promoted by enabling communities to access correct information about the practice from trusted sources.
She described the joint project as vital to support the enactment and implementation of national legislation and policies to end practices that are both culturally sensitive and consistent with the attainment of human rights, including the elimination of discrimination against women.
Jobe further highlighted the achievements registered in terms of the fight against FGM. "We are in the right track for improving the lives, health and dignity of women and girls in Africa," she said.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
New law prohibits practice of female genital mutilation in Guinea-Bissau
September 13, 2011
UNICEF
Iain Murray
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau, 13 September 2011 - This past June, the National Popular Assembly (ANP) of Guinea-Bissau approved a law prohibiting female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) nationwide. The controversial law had been on the table for discussion for 16 years, before it was ultimately approved by 64 votes in favour to 1 vote against.
45 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 years are affected by the newly prohibited practice, due to its deep significance in traditional culture. These long-held cultural beliefs make implementing the legislation a particular challenge in Guinea-Bissau
Cadi Seide, a young mother and a member of the Community Management Comittee of Canquebo village, expressed her pleasure at the decision to ban FGM/C, and highlighted that while communities were mired in the divisive debate over the traditional and religious practice, FGM/C had continued to impact women and girls in towns and villages across the country.
Raising awareness
There is widespread agreement that considerable work lies ahead, particularly to raise awareness on why this harmful custom should be ended. Currently 33 per cent of women approve of the continuation of female genital mutilation across the country.
While over 50 per cent of the population agree that the practice of female genital mutilation should be abandoned, prevalence of the practice remains high and the trend is worrying. Nevertheless the approval of this law by the ANP is an important first step to protect the physical integrity of women and girls across Guinea-Bissau.
UNICEF is implementing a joint programme with UNFPA and the NGO Tostan in Guinea-Bissau to promote the end of FGM/C. To date this joint programme is targeted at achiveing public declarations of the abandonment of FGM/C in 39 communities in the Gabu and Bafata regions where the practice is most prevalent.
To read the full article on the UNICEF website, click here
UNICEF
Iain Murray
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau, 13 September 2011 - This past June, the National Popular Assembly (ANP) of Guinea-Bissau approved a law prohibiting female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) nationwide. The controversial law had been on the table for discussion for 16 years, before it was ultimately approved by 64 votes in favour to 1 vote against.
45 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 years are affected by the newly prohibited practice, due to its deep significance in traditional culture. These long-held cultural beliefs make implementing the legislation a particular challenge in Guinea-Bissau
Cadi Seide, a young mother and a member of the Community Management Comittee of Canquebo village, expressed her pleasure at the decision to ban FGM/C, and highlighted that while communities were mired in the divisive debate over the traditional and religious practice, FGM/C had continued to impact women and girls in towns and villages across the country.
Raising awareness
There is widespread agreement that considerable work lies ahead, particularly to raise awareness on why this harmful custom should be ended. Currently 33 per cent of women approve of the continuation of female genital mutilation across the country.
While over 50 per cent of the population agree that the practice of female genital mutilation should be abandoned, prevalence of the practice remains high and the trend is worrying. Nevertheless the approval of this law by the ANP is an important first step to protect the physical integrity of women and girls across Guinea-Bissau.
UNICEF is implementing a joint programme with UNFPA and the NGO Tostan in Guinea-Bissau to promote the end of FGM/C. To date this joint programme is targeted at achiveing public declarations of the abandonment of FGM/C in 39 communities in the Gabu and Bafata regions where the practice is most prevalent.
To read the full article on the UNICEF website, click here
Friday, September 9, 2011
INDONESIA: FGM/C regulations mistaken as endorsement, experts fear
September 1, 2011
IRIN Asia
WEST JAVA, 1 September 2011 (IRIN) - Guidelines on how to perform female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Health could cause an increase in the practice, medical experts and rights groups fear.
"This will give doctors a new motivation to circumcise [girls] because now they can say the Ministry of Health approves of this, and the Indonesian Ulamas' Council approves of it," Jurnalis Uddin, doctor and lecturer at Yarsi University in Jakarta, told IRIN.
Though FGM/C was banned in 2006, two of Indonesia's Muslim organizations, including the largest and mostly moderate Nahdlatul Ulama, ultimately condone the practice advising "not to cut too much", and, as a result, many continue to perform the procedure.
By directing health professionals not to cut a girl's genitals but to "scrape the skin covering the clitoris, without injuring the clitoris", the Ministry of Health stands by the regulations, passed in June, as a medically safe form of FGM/C representing an effort to further regulate the illegal practice and protect women.
But recent uproar has questioned this reasoning. Others are concerned the guidelines could well be misinterpreted as an endorsement of the procedure, combined with an enticement for doctors to encourage the practice, Uddin said.
"I think that doctors will use these guidelines to make money from circumcision," Uddin said, adding that Indonesia's poorly regulated medical practitioners often viewed medicine as a business.
FGM/C is typically done at birth, or before a girl is five years old and in the past was often performed by local healers, called dukun, or by birth attendants. Traditionally, FGM/C was mostly "symbolic" with a small cut on the clitoris, or rubbing the clitoris with tumeric root, making it less invasive than other types of FGM/C.
However, Uddin, who conducted an Indonesia-wide survey of FGM/C practices in 2009, said he had found that when medical practitioners performed the procedure, there was a trend toward more extensive cutting of the clitoris.
Public outcry
Dozens of Indonesian groups continue to call for the Ministry to revoke the guidelines.
"This gives a justification for health practitioners to damage women's bodies," said Frenia Nababan, spokeswoman for the Indonesian Family Planning Association. She added, "We fear it will increase control of women's bodies by the state and religious groups."
Amnesty International, is one of more than 100 signatories to a letter stating that the guidelines should be revoked partially on the grounds of Indonesia's child protection laws, as well as the government's commitment to the international Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), signed by Indonesia in 1984.
Experts say there has been increasing support for the practice from Muslim groups since the downfall of authoritarian leader Suharto in 1998, resulting in greater religious and political freedom, known as "Reformasi".
"Before Reformasi [FGM/C] was mostly done on an individual basis, but since Reformasi, it has been done in mass events," said Siti Musda Mulia, an academic specializing in Islamic studies, who initially conducted research on the process during the Suharto era, and has conducted follow-up research since 1998.
Uddin found Indonesia-wide FGM/C had not increased dramatically since the Suharto era; however in some areas, such as Bandung, West Java, there was an increasing tendency to perform it, even among moderate Muslims.
Across Indonesia approximately 12 percent of female babies born in hospitals, birthing centres or assisted by government midwives have been circumcised, a figure that excludes FGM/C procedures done outside such facilities, Uddin said.
FGM/C remains a controversial practice, with debated origins. Religious experts say it is a foreign cultural practice not sanctioned in any of Islam's religious texts.
Even a scratch or small cut on the clitoris is a dangerous procedure to perform on infants, say medical practitioners. Long-term consequences include bladder and urinary tract infections, as well as cysts and infertility.
The Ministry of Health argues it is not "legitimizing or legalizing" FGM/C with its standards but only trying to make the practice less risky by encouraging trained health professionals rather than traditional healers to perform the procedure.
"It is feared that community members who want to circumcise female babies will therefore go to traditional healers for this procedure, and it will increase the number of [medical] complications. If this procedure is done by health professionals, then it has to be done in accordance with the ministerial instruction 1636, and this will guarantee the protection of the female reproductive system," the Ministry stated in response to national criticism.
To read the full article on the IRIN website, click here
mk/nb/mw
IRIN Asia
WEST JAVA, 1 September 2011 (IRIN) - Guidelines on how to perform female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Health could cause an increase in the practice, medical experts and rights groups fear.
"This will give doctors a new motivation to circumcise [girls] because now they can say the Ministry of Health approves of this, and the Indonesian Ulamas' Council approves of it," Jurnalis Uddin, doctor and lecturer at Yarsi University in Jakarta, told IRIN.
Though FGM/C was banned in 2006, two of Indonesia's Muslim organizations, including the largest and mostly moderate Nahdlatul Ulama, ultimately condone the practice advising "not to cut too much", and, as a result, many continue to perform the procedure.
By directing health professionals not to cut a girl's genitals but to "scrape the skin covering the clitoris, without injuring the clitoris", the Ministry of Health stands by the regulations, passed in June, as a medically safe form of FGM/C representing an effort to further regulate the illegal practice and protect women.
But recent uproar has questioned this reasoning. Others are concerned the guidelines could well be misinterpreted as an endorsement of the procedure, combined with an enticement for doctors to encourage the practice, Uddin said.
"I think that doctors will use these guidelines to make money from circumcision," Uddin said, adding that Indonesia's poorly regulated medical practitioners often viewed medicine as a business.
FGM/C is typically done at birth, or before a girl is five years old and in the past was often performed by local healers, called dukun, or by birth attendants. Traditionally, FGM/C was mostly "symbolic" with a small cut on the clitoris, or rubbing the clitoris with tumeric root, making it less invasive than other types of FGM/C.
However, Uddin, who conducted an Indonesia-wide survey of FGM/C practices in 2009, said he had found that when medical practitioners performed the procedure, there was a trend toward more extensive cutting of the clitoris.
Public outcry
Dozens of Indonesian groups continue to call for the Ministry to revoke the guidelines.
"This gives a justification for health practitioners to damage women's bodies," said Frenia Nababan, spokeswoman for the Indonesian Family Planning Association. She added, "We fear it will increase control of women's bodies by the state and religious groups."
Amnesty International, is one of more than 100 signatories to a letter stating that the guidelines should be revoked partially on the grounds of Indonesia's child protection laws, as well as the government's commitment to the international Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), signed by Indonesia in 1984.
Experts say there has been increasing support for the practice from Muslim groups since the downfall of authoritarian leader Suharto in 1998, resulting in greater religious and political freedom, known as "Reformasi".
"Before Reformasi [FGM/C] was mostly done on an individual basis, but since Reformasi, it has been done in mass events," said Siti Musda Mulia, an academic specializing in Islamic studies, who initially conducted research on the process during the Suharto era, and has conducted follow-up research since 1998.
Uddin found Indonesia-wide FGM/C had not increased dramatically since the Suharto era; however in some areas, such as Bandung, West Java, there was an increasing tendency to perform it, even among moderate Muslims.
Across Indonesia approximately 12 percent of female babies born in hospitals, birthing centres or assisted by government midwives have been circumcised, a figure that excludes FGM/C procedures done outside such facilities, Uddin said.
FGM/C remains a controversial practice, with debated origins. Religious experts say it is a foreign cultural practice not sanctioned in any of Islam's religious texts.
Even a scratch or small cut on the clitoris is a dangerous procedure to perform on infants, say medical practitioners. Long-term consequences include bladder and urinary tract infections, as well as cysts and infertility.
The Ministry of Health argues it is not "legitimizing or legalizing" FGM/C with its standards but only trying to make the practice less risky by encouraging trained health professionals rather than traditional healers to perform the procedure.
"It is feared that community members who want to circumcise female babies will therefore go to traditional healers for this procedure, and it will increase the number of [medical] complications. If this procedure is done by health professionals, then it has to be done in accordance with the ministerial instruction 1636, and this will guarantee the protection of the female reproductive system," the Ministry stated in response to national criticism.
To read the full article on the IRIN website, click here
mk/nb/mw
Female circumcision drops in Senegal
September 8, 2011
Afrique en ligne
The rate of female circumcision dropped from 28 to 26 percent between 2005 and 2011, according to the fifth Multiple Indicator Demographic and Health Survey in Senegal (EDSV-MICS), conducted under the auspices of the National Agency of Statistics and Demography (ANSD).
According to ANSD, which presented the preliminary results of the survey here Wednesday, the survey was based on levels of fertility, sexual activity, fertility preferences, as well as knowledge and the use of family planning methods, among others.
'With regard to the practice (circumcision), nearly 26 percent of all women surveyed are reported circumcised. In 2005, this practice was 28 percent,' said ANSD.
It said female circumcision was less common in cities (23 percent), compared to 28% in rural areas, while the rate of circumcision is higher in uneducated women than the educated ones, and decreases in accordance with the (higher) level of education.
The survey also shows that religion plays a role, with nearly 27 percent of Muslims having undergone circumcision, against just under 7 percent for Christian women.
'The most important differences are observed according to ethnicity and region. While female circumcision is virtually nonexistent among the Wolof (less than 1 percent) and the Serer (2.2 percent), it affects more than 8 out of 10 women among mandinka (82 percent), 65 percent among Soninke, nearly 55 percent among the Fulani and nearly 52 percent among the Diola, ' the ANSD said.
The survey was conducted from October 2010 and April 2011 among a national sample of 8212 households in Senegal.
To read the full article on the Afrique en ligne website, click here
Pana 19/08/2011
Afrique en ligne
The rate of female circumcision dropped from 28 to 26 percent between 2005 and 2011, according to the fifth Multiple Indicator Demographic and Health Survey in Senegal (EDSV-MICS), conducted under the auspices of the National Agency of Statistics and Demography (ANSD).
According to ANSD, which presented the preliminary results of the survey here Wednesday, the survey was based on levels of fertility, sexual activity, fertility preferences, as well as knowledge and the use of family planning methods, among others.
'With regard to the practice (circumcision), nearly 26 percent of all women surveyed are reported circumcised. In 2005, this practice was 28 percent,' said ANSD.
It said female circumcision was less common in cities (23 percent), compared to 28% in rural areas, while the rate of circumcision is higher in uneducated women than the educated ones, and decreases in accordance with the (higher) level of education.
The survey also shows that religion plays a role, with nearly 27 percent of Muslims having undergone circumcision, against just under 7 percent for Christian women.
'The most important differences are observed according to ethnicity and region. While female circumcision is virtually nonexistent among the Wolof (less than 1 percent) and the Serer (2.2 percent), it affects more than 8 out of 10 women among mandinka (82 percent), 65 percent among Soninke, nearly 55 percent among the Fulani and nearly 52 percent among the Diola, ' the ANSD said.
The survey was conducted from October 2010 and April 2011 among a national sample of 8212 households in Senegal.
To read the full article on the Afrique en ligne website, click here
Pana 19/08/2011
Labels:
female circumcision,
female genital mutilation,
FGM,
Senegal
FGM: Kenya acts against unkindest cut
September 9, 2011
guardian.co.uk
Sarah Boseley's Global Health Blog
Kenya has become the latest African country to ban female genital mutilation, with the passing of a law making it illegal to practice or procure it or take somebody abroad for cutting. The law even prohibits derogatory remarks about women who have not undergone FGM. Offenders may be jailed or fined or both.
Members of the Kenyan Women Parliamentary Association said it was a historic day. Linah Kilimo, its chairperson, said the move would improve school attendance. And Sophia Abdi Noor said:
I have fought for 18 years to achieve this legislation. Today is independence day for women. Men got their independence in 1963 – but today women have achieved independence from the cruel hands of society.
Unicef congratulated Kenya. Its child protection specialist in Kenya, Zeinab Ahmed said:
It is a great day for the girl child of Kenya. FGM is a serious violation of the rights of the child and of women. This bill gives an indication from government it is not just a cultural practice that can go on. The government has taken a bold step and will not tolerate any more violations. I applaud the work of Kewopa, the ministry of gender and the many other partners who have worked tirelessly to ensure that girls are protected from FGM.
Nobody imagines this means FGM will never take place again in Kenya, but making it illegal is a massive step towards changing attitudes and giving strength to those who oppose the practice. Kenya follows a number of African governments in outlawing the practice. According to the Pan African news agency, at the time of the African Union summit in June, which proposed prohibition of FGM, Benin, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Kenya, Central African Republic, Senegal, Chad, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda already had legislation against it.
But in nine countries (including some of those where it is illegal) it is still widely practised. In Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan, 85% of women undergo mutilation.
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