Gambian parliament debates bill to reverse ban on female genital mutilation
Banjul, Gambia Reuters Gambian lawmakers on Monday debated whether to repeal a ban on female genital mutilation, which has been on the rise in recent years despite activist campaigns to end the practice. The small West African nation imposed steep fines and jail sentences in 2015 for those who carry out female circumcision, known by […]
Wow!: Nurse-midwife Edna Adan Ismail, opponent of female genital mutilation, wins Templeton Prize
Dr Edna Adan Ismail is the first African woman to receive the prize, which is valued £1.1 million. KATHRYN POST, of Religion News Service, reports…
Pope says women’s rights fight is “continuous struggle”, condemns mutilation
Updated: 10:30am (AEST)Aboard the papal planeReuters Pope Francis said on Sunday the fight for women’s rights was a “continuous struggle”, and condemned male chauvinism as deadly for humanity and female genital mutilation as a crime that must be stopped. Speaking to reporters on the plane returning from a four-day trip to predominantly Muslim Bahrain, he […]
Child protection: How pastors in Kenya are helping girls escape FGM and early marriage
TONNY ONYULO reports on how church leaders are working to address issues like female genital mutiliation and child marriage, providing safe spaces and access to education…
Kenya court ruling gives boost to fight against FGM
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Kenya’s High Court ruling upholding a ban on female genital mutilation will give a much needed boost to the fight to end the widely condemned practice in the East African nation, women’s rights groups said this week. One in five Kenyan women and girls aged between 15 and 49 have undergone […]
US toughens ban on “abhorrent” female genital mutilation
Thomson Reuters Foundation The United States has toughened its ban on the “abhorrent practice” of female genital mutilation in a move campaigners hope will bolster efforts to end an ancient rite forced on millions of girls worldwide. The United States had already outlawed the widely condemned ritual, which dates back more than 2,000 years, but […]
Kenya orders probe into rise in violence against women and girls during pandemic
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Kenya’s President on Monday ordered an investigation into rising reports of violence against women and girls – including rape, domestic violence, female genital mutilation and child marriage – as a result of coronavirus restrictions. Lockdowns to curb the spread of the new coronavirus have fuelled an upsurge in gender-based violence across […]
Coronavirus puts millions more at risk of child marriage and FGM – UN
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation The coronavirus pandemic is reversing progress on ending child marriage and female genital mutilation, jeopardising the futures of millions of girls, a senior UN official said on Tuesday. “The pandemic both makes our job harder and more urgent as so many more girls are now at risk,” said Natalia Kanem, head […]
Somalia sees “massive” rise in FGM during lockdown and Ramadan
London, UK Thomson Reuters Foundation Somalia’s coronavirus lockdown has led to a huge increase in female genital mutilation, with circumcisers going door-to-door offering to cut girls stuck at home during the pandemic, a charity said on Monday. Plan International said the crisis was undermining efforts to eradicate the practice in Somalia, which has the world’s […]
Coronavirus to have “catastrophic” impact on women with domestic abuse up 20 per cent
London, UK/New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation The coronavirus lockdown could lead to a 20 per cent surge in domestic violence as victims remain trapped at home with their abusers, the United Nations predicted on Tuesday, warning the pandemic will have a “catastrophic impact” on women. Tens of millions of women may be unable to […]