Egypt ups penalty for female circumcision

Egyptian lawmakers Wednesday increased the penalties for perpetrators of female genital mutilation (FGM). But some activists say it will take more than an extended prison sentence to end the practice.

The country’s parliament approved amending the female circumcision law from a misdemeanor to a felony. Perpetrators will now face up to seven years in prison for performing the procedure and 15 years if a child dies. Egypt made the procedure illegal in 2008, but the practice still continues.

“This is very important for future generations,” said Vivian Fouad, the leader of a program under the country’s health ministry that combats female genital mutilation. The legal move marks a step in the right direction, but it will take years to come into effect, Fouad said.

Genital mutilation involves a risky procedure that completely or partially removes the external female genitalia. Both Muslims and Christian communities carry out the procedure in a society where it has been practiced for a long time as a social rite. In May, an Egyptian teenager died from complications during her procedure. The incident triggered renewed international attention on the issue and kickstarted the legislative amendment. But some rights activists fear the amendment will have unintended consequences.

“The stricter measures will probably lead more often to FGM being performed underground,” Amel Fahmy, the managing director of Egypt’s Tadwein Gender Research and Training Center, said in an analysis.

The new amendment also could discourage people from reporting cases, since it penalizes the parents of the circumcised girls, Fahmy added. She said the country should instead engage people in a societal debate that involves more youth and local nonprofits.

About 70 percent of young females and 68 percent of young males said they would circumcise their children, according to a survey by the Egyptian Population Council.

“Many people still link the idea of honor with female circumcision, so it’s not about stiffening the law as much as addressing people’s mindsets,” Reda al-Danbouki with Egypt’s Women’s Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness, told Reuters.

The United Nations children’s agency has said at least 200 million girls and women in 30 countries have undergone the procedure, with half of them from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia.