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Ugandan MPs have voted to
outlaw female genital mutilation - also known as female circumcision. Anyone convicted of the
practice, which involves cutting off a girl's clitoris, will face 10 years in
jail, or a life sentence if a victim dies. The BBC's Joshua Mmali in Rights groups welcomed the
move, but urged awareness campaigns to ensure the centuries-old practice
stops. Genital mutilation is seen
in some countries as a way to ensure virginity and to make a woman suitable
for marriage.
Our reporter says it is
still practised by the Sabiny, some Karamojong sub-groups and the Pokot in
eastern MP Alice Alaso said the
move was "a very significant achievement". "It's a very bad
practice. It's cruel, it traumatises people, it's led children to drop out of
school, it's a health hazard," she told the BBC's Focus on "This is a warning
signal - whoever dares practice female genital mutilation will be subject to
the law." Another MP, Lulume Bayiga,
said the law would liberate both men and women - who often face being
ostracised for shunning the custom. "Women will start for
the first time to enjoy sex and it's going to do away with various
diseases," he told the BBC. According to the UN, about
three million girls each year in These include bleeding, shock,
infections and a higher rate of death for new-born babies. |
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