Egypt has completely banned female circumcision that has been a part of its culture in conservative families. The decision came as Suzanne Mubarak, Egypt’s first lady led a campaign to ban the brutal practice. Although the ban was introduced nearly 10 years ago but the practice had still continued.
Female circumcision also known as genital mutilation involves cutting of the genital tissues, is most prevalent in Somalia, followed by Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Mali and is believed to be part of an ancient Egyptian rite of passage.
However 10 years ago also a ban was introduced but still the practice continues conservative Muslim and Christian families.
The health ministry has declared that anyone from the medical profession would be punished if found performing the operation in public or private establishments.
The new ban has also ruled out the old law, which had a provision of permitting the operation to be performed by qualified doctors in exceptional cases.
The human rights groups had stood up against the practice when few days ago a 12-year-old girl died. The incident added fury and they appealed more sternly to both the government and the medical profession to act swiftly and stamp out the practice. The doctor who carried out the girl’s operation has been also arrested now.
The first lady of Egypt, Susanne Mubarak, has spoken out strongly against female circumcision as she said:
It is a flagrant example of continued physical and psychological violence against children which must stop.
Suzanne Mubarak has also been supported by the country’s top religious authorities as they too have expressed unequivocal support for the ban.
A recent study had indicted that most of the Egyptian women ( 90%) have been circumcised.
The Grand Mufti and the head of the Coptic Church said :
Female circumcision had no basis either in the Koran or in the Bible.
Conservative families get into the procedure, as they believe that circumcision is a way of protecting the girls’ chastity.
Source: BBC
