Sudan's ruling body ratifies a law banning the widespread practice of female genital mutilation in a country where the practice had been performed on some 87 per cent of women and girls.
Sudan's ruling body has ratified a law banning the widespread practice of female genital mutilation, the justice ministry says, handing the movement for women's rights in the African country a long-sought victory.Another amendment allows women to travel with their children without their spouse's permissionThe Sovereign Council passed a set of sweeping amendments to the country's criminal code late on Thursday , including one that criminalised the deep-rooted practice.
Most undergo an extreme form known as infibulation, which involves the removal and repositioning of the labia to narrow the vaginal opening. A UN-backed survey in 2014 estimated 87 per cent of Sudanese women and girls had been subjected to the procedure. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok hailed the decision as "an important step in reforming the justice system".
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