What is the purpose of FGM in Kenya?
The most frequently cited reasons for carrying out FGM are social acceptance, religion, misconceptions about hygiene, a means of preserving a girl or woman’s virginity, making the woman “marriageable” and enhancing male sexual pleasure.
When did Kenya ban female circumcision?
2011
In 2011, Kenya passed legislation barring female genital mutilation, also called female circumcision. The legislation imposed harsh penalties on those involved in cutting girls and women, including a minimum fine of $1,800 or three years’ imprisonment.
Do they still do female circumcision in Africa?
FGM is practiced in 31 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It’s most prevalent in Djibouti, Egypt, Guinea, and Mali, where 90% or more of women aged 15 to 49 have been subjected to FGM.
Why is FGM banned in Kenya?
The country outlawed the practice in 2011. In 2017, DR Tatu Kamau filed a constitutional petition calling for the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act to be declared unconstitutional as it discriminates against “national heritage”. She argued that women above the age of 18 would have the right to choose.
What is the penalty for FGM?
Breach of an FGM protection order is a criminal offence, carrying a sentence of up to five years in prison.
How common is FGM in Africa?
The UN estimates that 200 million women and girls around the world have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), with 80 per cent of cases occurring in Africa. The impact of Covid-19 has made some of the statistics on FGM even worse.
Is circumcision legal in Kenya?
In Kenya, four million girls and women have undergone FGM, the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The country outlawed the practice in 2011.
What is female circumcision in Ethiopia?
Background. World Health Organization defines female genital mutilation/cutting as all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice is common in Ethiopia, especially among Somali (99%) ethnic groups.
Is breast ironing illegal in UK?
There is no specific law banning breast ironing in the UK and no-one has ever been prosecuted for carrying out the practice. However, offenders can be prosecuted for a range of crimes, including common assault, child cruelty and grievous bodily harm, the equalities minister, Susan Williams, said last month.
In which 5 countries is FGM widely practiced?
These are the eight countries where over 80% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 have undergone FGM, according a 2016 report by UNICEF.
- Somalia. Population: 14.3 million.
- Guinea. Population: 12.4 million.
- 3) Djibouti. Population: 942,000.
- 4) Sierra Leone. Population: 7.4 million.
- 5) Mali.
- 6) Egypt.
- 7) Sudan.
- 8) Eritrea.
Which African countries practice FGM?
General. Although estimates of the prevalence of FGM vary, sources have consistently found the practice to be undergone by the majority of women in the Horn of Africa, in the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso, as well as in Sudan and Egypt.
What is female circumcision in Egypt?
Most Egyptian women are circumcised in the first or second degrees. The practice probably originated in Pharaonic Egypt, in which it was invested with mythological significance. Islamic tradition has reinforced the practice because of the belief that it attenuates sexual desire in women. The legal status is ambiguous.
What countries practice breast ironing?
Countries where the practice is believed to occur include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Kenya, Nigeria, Togo, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.