The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
women in the world.

Latest items for INFIB-LAW-1

Dec. 13, 2024, 10:38 p.m.
Countries: Gambia
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"Lawmakers who had been moving toward repealing Gambia’s landmark ban on female genital cutting overwhelmingly changed course on Monday, voting instead to keep the legislation in place after women staged an intense three-month campaign" (para 1). "Of the 53 members of Gambia’s National Assembly present on Monday, 34 voted to keep the ban, and 19 to overturn it. In March, when 47 members were present, 42 of them voted to overturn the ban" (para 4).
Dec. 7, 2024, 6:21 p.m.
Countries: Gambia
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"FGM was practiced openly in The Gambia until 2015, when former president Yahya Jammeh banned it through the Women’s (Amendment) Act 2015, which aimed to protect the rights of women and girls. While the law was seen as progressive, some legal experts criticized it for lacking an effective implementation strategy. Very few efforts were made to enforce the law, and many girls continued to endure the pain and complications of FGM" (par. 4). "In March 2024, Almami Gibba, a member of the party of former president Jammeh, introduced a bill seeking to repeal the act and allow women and girls in The Gambia to undergo FGM. Some lawmakers also began...more
Dec. 3, 2024, 4:25 p.m.
Countries: Sudan
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"Both [Chad and Sudan] have outlawed the practice [of FGM] but it continues in secret…FGM was made illegal in Sudan in 2020" (2, 7).
Dec. 3, 2024, 4:24 p.m.
Countries: Chad
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"Both [Chad and Sudan] have outlawed the practice [of FGM] but it continues in secret…FGM was made illegal in Sudan in 2020" (2, 7).
Nov. 13, 2024, 1:05 p.m.
Countries: Gambia
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"A bill aimed at lifting the ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) has been tabled in The Gambia's parliament by an independent lawmaker. It was outlawed in the mainly Muslim nation in 2015 when Yahya Jammeh was president...Last year, [a] cleric helped pay the fines of three women who were convicted of carrying out FGM on young girls" (1-2, 10).
Nov. 12, 2024, 1:32 p.m.
Countries: Latvia
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"The Committee welcomes the progress achieved...in particular the adoption of the following...establishing criminal liability for female genital mutilation" (1, 2).
July 23, 2024, 4:58 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

“Despite calls from activists and human rights advocates for the practice to be criminalised – including from the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls – [FGM] remains legal in Sierra Leone” (6).
July 22, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

“Efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation in Kenya have suffered a setback after a police officer was killed in a confrontation with a gang of youths. Activists and local leaders condemned the murder, calling it a backward step in the fight to eradicate the practice in the country. Police in Elgeyo Marakwet county, in the Rift Valley region, had taken a group of girls who had been forced to undergo the illegal procedure to hospital when a mob of young men stormed a police station and stoned Cpl Mushote Boma to death…Female genital mutilation, or ‘the cut’, remains illegal in Kenya” (1-2, 5).
July 19, 2024, 9:09 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

“[T]he [recent Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024] falls short by missing the vital component in enacting the urgent reform needed to eradicate FGM, viewed by many as a precursor to marriage, regardless of age. Child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) are deeply interwoven, yet an amended Child Rights Act of 2024, laid out to protect girls from all forms of violence, including FGM, is still awaiting parliamentary approval” (3). “[W]ithin this new law [the recent Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024], that sits alongside celebrated policy milestones such as the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act 2023, and progressive education policies, the violence of FGM remains entrenched, normalised,...more
Jan. 19, 2024, 12:06 p.m.
Countries: Central African Rep
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"[T]he legislature of the Central African Republic set out penalties for levirate and sororate, widowhood rites and genital mutilation in articles 112 to 117 of the revised Penal Code of 2010" (32).
Sept. 7, 2023, 10:10 a.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"Village chiefs in Kenya will make house-to-house checks after reports some rural communities were taking advantage of school closures due to the coronavirus to perform female genital mutilation (FGM) on girls, officials and campaigners said" (para 1). "Bernadette Loloju, chief executive of the semi-autonomous government agency Anti-FGM Board, said she had received reports that scores of girls had been forced to undergo FGM in Kenya’s northern Samburu county after schools closed on March 16" (para 4). "Loloju said authorities had deployed village chiefs and community workers to visit rural homesteads and report cases where girls may be at risk" (para 7). "Authorities were also reaching out to remote villagers through...more
Aug. 15, 2023, 6:17 a.m.
Countries: Cote D'Ivoire
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"The Committee welcomes the legislative and policy measures taken by the State party, including awareness-raising initiatives, to address harmful practices (CEDAW/C/CIV/4, paras. 92–93; and CEDAW/C/CIV/Q/4/Add.1, paras. 26–28). It is nevertheless concerned about:... (b) The limited number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and the lenient sentences imposed under Law No. 98-757 of 23 December 1998 criminalizing female genital mutilation (CEDAW/C/CIV/Q/4/Add.1, para. 28) (c) The lack of rehabilitation services for victims of female genital mutilation." (8). "In line with joint general recommendation No. 31 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women/general comment No. 18 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (2014) on harmful practices, as well as...more
Aug. 8, 2023, 12:20 p.m.
Countries: Senegal
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"A number of measures have been taken by the Senegalese State to eliminate stereotypes. These include: Evaluation of the second national action plan to accelerate the elimination of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in 2018; Ongoing development of the third strategy to combat FGM/C; Engagement of parliamentarians in this political movement through advocacy activities since 2014; Annual allocation of a budget line of 50 million CFA francs by the Government of Senegal to support action to eliminate FGM in 2014; From 1997 to 2018 there were 6,809 community declarations on the elimination of female circumcision, with increasing involvement from traditional and religious leaders, including the Islam and Population Network; 108,958 people...more
June 27, 2023, 11:16 p.m.
Countries: Algeria
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"[Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C)] is considered a criminal offense punishable by up to 25 years in prison" (28).
June 26, 2023, 6:46 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

" 'It is very hard to find out who is doing what,' says Esnahs Nyaramba, an anti-FGM campaigner who monitors and reports the practice. 'As long as the mutilator and mutilatee are there, it’s a done deal.' Nyaramba says that many parents take their girls for FGM under the cover of a different medical service. She uses insiders, such as nurses and gate guards, to get information on when the cuts are happening and works with police to stop it. Her organisation, Onsembe, is part of a grassroots movement #FrontlineEndingFGM, that provides live updates on where and when FGM is happening. Organisers say it has made it easier to pressure...more
March 31, 2023, 2:31 p.m.
Countries: Egypt
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

[There is a] National Strategy to Counter Female Genital Mutilation for 2016–2020" (2). "[A]rticle 61 [of the penal code], exempts from punishment medical doctors and personnel who commit female genital mutilation under the guise of performing cosmetic surgery or the necessity of protecting a third party from grievous harm" (7).
March 18, 2023, 10:20 p.m.
Countries: Ethiopia
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

“The Government entered a commitment to end child marriage and FGM by 2025…The Strategy has identified three of the most commonly practiced HTPs namely FGM, child marriage and abduction and has developed detailed implementation plan (action plan) for three years” (9, 26).
March 8, 2023, 1:43 p.m.
Countries: Montenegro
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1, FSCB-LAW-1

"[T]he acts of female genital mutilation... and forced sterilization of another person in order to prevent their reproduction...were incriminated" (11).
March 4, 2023, 7:52 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"A proposed amendment to the Child Right Act, which has been under review by Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Gender and Children Affairs, would codify cutting as a “harmful practice” and make it illegal to perform the procedure on girls under 18. This is far less than the outright ban than many opponents want. But the path to outlawing the procedure is not a clear one. Powerful individuals and institutions continue to champion the practice — some overtly, some discreetly — on the grounds that it is a key part of Sierra Leone’s culture and values. They often bolster the claim with the assertion that the anti-cutting movement is a Western...more
Feb. 8, 2023, 1:06 p.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"She is still suffering from the consequences of her FGM today. 'I'm experiencing PTSD and complicated intersexual relationships,' she said. 'Before coming to the UK in 2019, I was unable to have a sexual relationship. I finally got therapy here and it helped me understand myself and showed me that I can have a normal relationship. I always need to explain myself to a partner and I need to really take my time. Sometimes I'm unable to say I'm a survivor and that this has happened to me. There is so much pain and shame. It takes a lot of energy to explain FGM to a person and it has...more
Feb. 2, 2023, 1:11 p.m.
Countries: Austria
Variables: INFIB-PRACTICE-1, INFIB-LAW-1

"The Committee notes the following with concern:...(c) The lack of reliable statistics on the number of women who have been subjected to... female genital mutilation. The Committee recommends that the State party:...(b) Continue to combat harmful practices, in particular...female genital mutilation, through awareness-raising and education campaigns within target communities and by prosecuting and adequately punishing perpetrators of such acts; (c) Systematically collect data disaggregated by relevant factors on... female genital mutilation" (14-15).
Dec. 19, 2022, 5:54 p.m.
Countries: Malaysia
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"Why does female genital mutilation keep coming up as a headline in the news? And why won’t the government ban the procedure? The issue of female genital mutilation is surprisingly complicated in Malaysia" (para 2). "In November 2018, Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad released a statement clarifying that the type of female circumcision practised in Malaysia is not FGM, but instead FGC, female genital cutting, or FC, female circumcision. The Ministry has supposedly also released a guideline to standardise the procedure" (para 14).
Dec. 14, 2022, 2:18 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

In other countries where cutting is practiced in some communities but not in others, girls can find it easier to leave home, she said. In Kenya, for example, there are shelters and organizations that support girls who resist cutting. Sierra Leone, where the hegemony of bondo is still entrenched, has nothing of the sort.
Dec. 14, 2022, 2:08 p.m.
Countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, Senegal, Somalia
Variables: INFIB-PRACTICE-1, INFIB-LAW-1

Laws against cutting have had uneven enforcement and mixed results. Some countries, such as Egypt and Ethiopia, have seen rates fall dramatically. But in others, such as Senegal and Somalia, the decline has been negligible. Globally, the number of girls at risk of being cut continues to grow, because countries without laws or enforcement against cutting have large and rapidly growing youth populations
Dec. 14, 2022, 2 p.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"A proposed amendment to the Child Right Act, which has been under review by Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Gender and Children Affairs, would codify cutting as a “harmful practice” and make it illegal to perform the procedure on girls under 18. This is far less than the outright ban than many opponents want. But the path to outlawing the procedure is not a clear one. Powerful individuals and institutions continue to champion the practice — some overtly, some discreetly — on the grounds that it is a key part of Sierra Leone’s culture and values. They often bolster the claim with the assertion that the anti-cutting movement is a Western...more
Oct. 7, 2022, 4:17 p.m.
Countries: Portugal
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"FGM/C is a crime punishable under the law" (12).
July 6, 2022, 10:35 a.m.
Countries: Djibouti
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"Increasing the punishment for female genital mutilation, which has been a criminal offence since 2009. Setting up a mobile legal brigade to combat female genital mutilation" (11). "Specific measures adopted by the Government as part of a strategy to accelerate the achievement of substantive equality between men and women, particularly in the areas of education, justice and decision-making, include the enactment of a new law on the protection and prevention of violence against women, as well as other measures to combat female genital mutilation, trafficking and prostitution" (12). "Since female genital mutilation is a major concern in Djibouti, the policy of eradicating all forms of female genital mutilation is part...more
July 1, 2022, 11:06 a.m.
Countries: Indonesia
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"The government has revoked the MoH Regulation No. 1636/2010 on Female Circumcision by issuing MoH Regulation No. 6/2014. The latest regulation prohibits all medical practitioners from conducting FGM/C procedures" (19). "Raising awareness and advocacy are key in the effort to eliminate FGM/C. Indonesia has intensified efforts in conducting awareness programs among the medical and health workers, parents, community and religious leaders to prevent FGM/C practice on the ground. MoWECP has also intensified efforts to gather support to stop the practice of FGM/C by engaging community leaders, in particular religious communities, on the issue. A series of workshops in cooperation with NHRI has been done to formulate concrete strategies and programs...more
June 29, 2022, 11:33 a.m.
Countries: Indonesia
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

"The Committee notes that Ministry of Health Regulation No. 1636/2010 was replaced by Ministry of Health Regulation No. 6/2014, which explicitly states that female genital mutilation and circumcision are not medical treatments. However, the Committee notes with concern that Ministry of Health Regulation No. 6/2014 does not prohibit female genital mutilation or impose sanctions on those who perform it" (6). "[The Committee] recommends that the State party: (a) Criminalize all forms of female genital mutilation, ensuring that such criminalization cannot be overruled by fatwas or other rulings issued by religious or clerical authorities" (6). This recommendation indicates that such laws are not yet in place (SFR - CODER COMMENT).more
June 21, 2022, 8:35 a.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: INFIB-PRACTICE-1, INFIB-LAW-1

"The Committee commends the State party on the introduction of a mandatory reporting duty, which came into force in October 2015, requiring health-care and social-care professionals and teachers to report all known cases of female genital mutilation in girls under 18 years of age to the police. It also welcomes the first conviction for female genital mutilation in February 2019" (8).