Women hail victory as Sudan moves to ban genital cutting
Hakam Ibrahim was seven when, like most Sudanese girls, she became a victim of female genital mutilation - an age-old practice decried as horrific that the post-revolution government is currently banning.
A mother-of-four in her 40s, Ibrahim vividly recalls the traumatic connection with what remains a widespread ritual in parts of Africa, the center East and Asia despite a concerted human rights campaign to get rid of it.
The night before it happened, Ibrahim remembers, women from her neighbourhood in the administrative centre Khartoum were singing and ululating because they drew ceremonial henna tattoos on her hands.
On your day itself, she was taken up to a small room in which a woman in a white robe performed the procedure to eliminate Ibrahim's external genitalia.
"I was placed on a bed and felt excruciating pain jolting through my own body," she told AFP. "The pain lasted a whole week."
The practice is definitely viewed, especially in rural communities, as a "rite of passage" for girls and a way to preserve their chastity.
In Sudan practically nine out of 10 girls fall victim from what is called FGM or genital cutting, in line with the United Nations.
In its most brutal form, it involves removing the labia and clitoris, often in unsanitary conditions and without anesthesia.
The wound is then sewn shut, often leading to cysts and infections and leaving women to suffer serious pain during intercourse and childbirth issues later in life.
Rights groups have for a long time decried as barbaric the practice which can cause myriad physical, psychological and sexual issues and, in the most tragic cases, death.
Last week, Sudan's cabinet approved amendments to the criminal code that would punish those that perform the procedure with up to 3 years in prison and a fine.
It is likely to soon be ratified by Sudan's transitional authorities.
The watershed move is part of reforms that have come because the ouster more than a year ago of strongman Omar al-Bashir after mass demonstrations in which women took a leading role.
"It is a very important step for Sudanese women and implies that we have come a long way," said women's rights activist Zeinab Badreddin.
The US Children's Fund also welcomed the landmark decision.
"This practice isn't just a violation of each girl child's rights, it really is harmful and has serious consequences for a girl's physical and mental health," said Abdullah Fadil, the UNICEF Representative in Khartoum.
The UN says FGM is widespread in many countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, affecting the lives of an incredible number of girls and women.
In Sudan, rights campaigners say the custom has over the past three decades spread to remote regions where it had been previously not practised, including Sudan's Nuba mountains.
In neighbouring Egypt, as in several other countries, genital cutting is currently prohibited. A 2008 law punishes it with up to seven years in prison.
Sudan's anti-FGM advocates came close to a ban in 2015 whenever a bill was discussed in parliament but then shot down by Bashir who caved directly into pressure from some Islamic clerics.
Yet many religious leaders have spoken out against genital cutting through the years.
"Criminalising FGM will not contradict religion, and there is no (religious) text that allows female circumcision," said 28-year-old rights activist Sherine Abu Bakr.
"This is a practice that needs to be fought, especially with the change happening in the united states."
Sudan has been shaken by political upheaval - especially the April 2019 military ouster of Bashir following mass protests against his 30-year-rule, and the dismantling of his ruling Islamist party.
A transitional administration including a civilian-majority ruling body has since August taken the reins to steer the united states through a mountain of social, economic and political challenges.
"While we are incredibly happy with the amendments, regulations alone is not enough," said Manal Abdel Halim of the Salima initiative fighting FGM in Sudan.
"We still need more community awareness campaigns," she added.
Badreddin also believes punishments ought to be extended to members of the family who pressure their female relatives into undergoing the operations.
Ibrahim agreed. "I hope that the amendments help persons realise that people should keep their girls in the nice physical condition where these were born," she said.--AFP
