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President
Jammeh's ban on FGM is effective immediately AFP
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The Gambia's President
Yahya Jammeh has banned female genital mutilation (FGM) saying it is not
required in Islam. The
announcement at a rally was met with a huge applause, AFP reports.
Three-quarters
of women in the mostly Muslim country have had the procedure, according to
UNICEF.
BBC News report continues:
In
the procedure's most severe form, after removing the sensitive clitoris, the
genitals are cut and stitched closed so that the woman cannot have or enjoy
sex.
FGM,
also known as female circumcision, can be extremely painful, lead to tetanus,
gangrene, HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C and effective sterilization.
The
president's announcement said the ban was effective immediately.
It
is not clear when a law will be passed to allow the ban to be enforced.
Types of FGM
•Clitoridectomy
- partial or total removal of the clitoris
•Excision
- removal of the clitoris and inner labia (lips), with or without the outer
labia
•Infibulation
- cutting, removing and sewing up the genitalia
•Any
other type of intentional damage to the female genitalia (burning, scraping et
cetera)
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