Sierra Leone: FGM Engenders Sharp Cultural Divide
F.A. Cole was 11 when her stepmother told her to dress up for a special occasion near her hometown of Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was, instead, a traumatic occasion, Cole recalls 34 years later. Her…
FGM
Senegal: Grandmothers helping to banish female genital circumcision
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Kadiatou Balde grew up in a Senegalese village with the tradition of female genital mutilation. She never had a choice, but now as a community elder she is helping to banish…
USA: Ruling in genital mutilation case shocks women’s advocates
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Women’s rights advocates said they were shocked when a federal judge in Michigan ruled this week that a law protecting girls from genital mutilation was unconstitutional. They called his decision a serious…
Somaliland: Fatwa Forbids FGM
Authorities in the self-declared republic of Somaliland have issued a religious fatwa banning the practice of female genital mutilation and vowed to punish violators. The fatwa by the Ministry of Religious Affairs allows FGM victims…
Kenyan girls to fly to Google HQ after inventing app to end FGM
NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Animated chatter spills out from a corner of tech giant Google’s Nairobi offices as five Kenyan schoolgirls discuss their upcoming trip to California where they hope to win $15,000 for…
Animation: Vicious Cycle and Definition of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
FGM, or cutting, as it is also sometimes known, is the removal of the external female genitalia. The procedure has no health benefits but can cause great harm and serious health complications for those who…
Judge Orders US Doctor Charged with Female Genital Mutilation to Remain in Jail
A federal judge in Detroit has ordered a doctor to stay in jail pending trial for alleged female genital mutilation of two 7-year-old girls. The judge ruled Monday that Dr. Jumana Nagarwala is a danger…
USA: Doctor Accused of Genital Mutilation on Girls
DETROIT — A Detroit-area physician faces federal charges for allegedly performing female genital mutilation on multiple 6- to 7-year-old girls as part of a religious and cultural practice at a Michigan medical clinic, in what…
Kenya: Shocking Survey Reveals Extent of FGM
A new survey indicates that one in every five adult Kenyan women have undergone a form of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The Kenya Demographic and Health Indicator survey conducted by ActionAid Kenya also ranked Kenya…
Sierra Leone Government Urged to Ban FGM After Death of Teenage Girl
Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates of FGM in the world, with nine in 10 women and adolescent girls cut, says U.N. The death of a teenage girl in Sierra Leone during a…