UN office in Cairo hails parliament’s approval to toughen FGM penalties

The United Nations office in Egypt congratulates the Egyptian government, health ministry and the National Population Council for their admirable efforts, which led to the endorsement by parliament majority of harsher penalties for Female Genital Mutilation. In a Thursday statement, the UN Egypt office said that “swift processing of the proposed amendments reflects a strong commitment from the Government of Egypt to end FGM and is in line with the UN resolutions and the Sustainable Development Goals which call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls.” On Wednesday, the parliament approved a cabinet bill amending the law criminalizing FGM, designating the practice a felony, and mandating stricter legal punishments for those convicted of performing the procedure. The United Nations in Egypt calls on all health care providers—that include doctors and nurses— as well as the communities, parents and the civil society to mobilize against this dangerous, illegal practice and to enforce the new amendments, according to the statement.