In Landmark Victory For Women's Rights, Sudan Moves To Outlaw Female Genital Mutilation

FGM is a deeply entrenched practice in Sudan and other countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, involving the cutting and reconfiguration of the outer and inner labia as well as the clitoris. The practice has roots in a culture seeking to curb sexual desires of women.

In Sudan, the most common form of FGM (Type III according to WHO reports) involves the removal of the inner and outer labia, and usually the clitoris and their subsequent stitching up. This often results in dangerous cysts and urinary tract infections, uretrine and kidney infections apart from painful sex.

The practice has no health benefits and has caused physical and psychological problems. It has also proved to be a major health risk owing to the nature of surgeries performed, often without anesthesia if the procedure is not being performed by a health professional.

This draft amendment is seen as a critical victory for Sudanese women who have been at the forefront of the fight for ensuring safer and more progressive laws for women and children. The practice curbs women's right to bodily autonomy. UN reports suggest that Sudan has one of the highest rates of FGM in the world with over 87% women having undergone one or the other form of it. Girls around the ages of five to fourteen are usually forced to undergo FGM.

The passing of the draft is believed to have come at a crucial yet unfortunate time as the strict lockdown regulations have prevented the news from reaching all Sudanese women.