Genitalia Mutilation

On Wednesday the cabinet of Egypt toughened penalties for female genital mutilation, authorizing prison terms of up to 20 years in a bid to curb a practice that has persisted despite religious edicts against it. Human rights activists have long advocated against it, but government efforts to end it have met with resistance. That notion, however, has been disputed by al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's most respected religious institution, located in Cairo.

Sudan's Sovereign Council has banned and criminalized the practice of female genital mutilation. The transitional government had previously approved multiple amendments to the criminal code of Sudan, including the ban on female genitalia mutilation.

The justice ministry stated that the practice "degrades the dignity of women" and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok that the change is "an important step in reforming the justice system".