Government seeks lengthier jail terms for those who perform banned practice of genital mutilation..
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The law, drafted on August 28, calls for punishing anyone involved in female circumcision, better known as female genital mutilation (FGM), by five to seven years in prison instead of the current penalty of a maximum three years of imprisonment, Health Minister Ahmad Emad said. Previous legislation had stipulated that the punishment for performing FGM would be a prison sentence ranging from three months to two years and a fine of EGP 5,000.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a terrible practice in many parts of Africa despite the national and worldwide efforts to eradicate it, including by global human rights instruments and at different fora.
Female genital mutilation involves the total or partial removal of, or injury to, the external female genitalia for no medical benefit, and can cause bleeding, infertility or death. Parents who subject their daughters to the practice would also face one to three years of jail time.
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A bill on the issue is expected to be approved soon by the Egyptian parliament. The girl’s mother, the doctor who performed the fatal procedure and two other people have been accused of “involuntary manslaughter” and are awaiting a trial, AFP reported. The 17-year-old girl’s death sent shock waves across the nation, and showed that the centuries-old practice is still rife despite its ban. Although the convict was sentenced to two years in jail, he served the three-month sentence and got away with the brutal act with nearly negligible punishment. A 2013 UNICEF report found that Egypt has the world’s highest total number of FGM sufferers, with 27.2 million women having undergone FGM.
