WUNRN
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/23792-colombian-baby-girl-dies-after-circumcision.html
COLOMBIA - BABY GIRL DIES AFTER
CIRCUMCISION/FGM
April 2012 - Miriam Wells
A 15-day-old baby from an indigenous tribe in western Colombia has died after her clitoris was removed in a banned ancestral practice, reported Radio Caracol Monday.
The infant, who died of a
haemorrage, belonged to the Embera-Chami tribe in the Valle de Cauca
department, which pledged in 2010 to end the practice of female genital
mutilation (FGM).
The mayor of Ansermanuevo, Jose Luis
Herrera, said the baby had left the hospital in good health. "The case
[has been referred] to the governor of the community, because they had promised
to stop these activities," he said.
The death of a young Embera-Chami girl in
2007 brought attention to the practice of FGM among the tribe, which has a
population of about 5,000.
The United Nations Population Fund
approached Embera-Chami leaders to ask if it could start a community project
exploring the origins of FGM in the tribe and teaching about the physical and
psychological harm it causes.
It was discovered it probably dated from
the time of colonial rule, when there had been a lot of contact with African
communities brought to
After one year of work, the community decided it would stop the practice for a trial period of two years. At the end of the two years, it was decided to end the practice permanently and enforce severe punishments for anyone who carried it out.
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