The ancestral practice of excision is still widespread in Sudan, where, according to the United Nations, almost nine out of ten women suffered it in childhood. But since Friday, July 10, this genital mutilation, fatal in some cases, is now punishable by three years' imprisonment and a fine.

The Sudanese Sovereign Council, which ensures the democratic transition in the country since the fall of Omar el-Bashir until the holding of elections in 2020, has just validated a series of laws passed in April by the government criminalizing excision .

The adopted text now considers as "crime" the mutilation of the female genital organs. It also authorizes the closure by the authorities of clinics or places practicing excision.

The law has changed… But not the traditions

If the most conservative circles believe that excision preserves chastity, many religious leaders have spoken out. For UNICEF in Khartoum, criminalizing this practice is only the first step in a long societal process, in order to envisage its disappearance.

"The law will certainly accelerate the reduction of the practice, if it is effectively implemented by all stakeholders: law enforcement, health professionals and community members, including parents. This period will require intensive collaborative efforts, "warns Tamador Khalid, child protection specialist at UNICEF in Sudan, contacted by France 24. 

"This practice is not only a violation of the rights of young women, it [...] has serious consequences for physical and mental health," insists Abdullah Fadil, representative of UNICEF in Khartoum.

Excision has gained ground in 30 years

Human rights activists in Sudan say the custom has spread over the past three decades to remote areas where it was not practiced before, especially in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, an area of ​​conflict between government of Khartoum and rebel groups.

"As a result of the conflict, many ethnic groups who have been forced to move have been welcomed by communities who practice female genital mutilation. The Nuba, Fellat and even the Fur have made efforts to be welcomed and accepted. And , as part of an acculturation process, they began to embrace female genital mutilation as part of their new identity, "said Tamador Khalid.

For UNICEF, the elimination of female genital mutilation is an essential step towards promoting equal rights for men and women in the country. In Sudan, according to the international organization, 38% of girls are still forced into marriage before the age of 18. "Child marriage is practiced by many groups in rural areas, more than in areas urban, which deprives them of the right to education, the possibility of making choices and making decisions ", deplores Tamador Khalid. 

Women in power, factor of acceleration of progress

If the road is long, UNICEF in Sudan welcomes the changes brought about by the coming to power of a new government following the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir by the military coup d'etat that followed the revolts popular of 2019.

The presence of women in the Sudanese Sovereign Council, which validated the law against female circumcision, was undoubtedly a determining factor. Although this law is the result of a long process of joint efforts by activists, the government, community organizations and NGOs since 2010. Six states in Sudan, including South Darfur, South Kordofan and South Kordofan North, had already passed laws against female genital mutilation.

Even if the 40% of women occupying key political and leadership positions in Sudan have not yet been reached, "what is currently happening is very positive and very promising," said Tamador Khalid.

Sudanese women played a leading role in the popular revolt that led to the fall of ex-dictator Omar el-Béchir in April 2019. However, the ex-autocrat, who remained at the head of the country for thirty years , after a coup supported by the Islamists, had rejected in 2015 a bill against excision.

With AFP

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