Latest news with #FGM
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
‘The matter is in his hands alone': president of Sierra Leone urged to ban FGM as court rules it tantamount to torture
As Kadijatu Balaima Allieu walked to a neighbour's house in her village in Sierra Leone, she had no idea that what was about to happen would alter the course of her life for ever. It was a beautiful September morning in 2016 and Allieu, 28 at the time, had gone to resolve a dispute she had with another woman, who belonged to the Bondo society, an influential and secretive group of women. Shortly after she arrived, she was forced into a room and the door locked. Her hands were tied. She was beaten, blindfolded and gagged. Then a woman sat on her chest while others forced her legs apart. She was forcibly subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM), the partial or total removal by cutting of the female genitalia. 'There was nothing left of me [to fight],' says Allieu. 'Out of 100% energy, I was left with something like 1%. So they carried on with their operation.' Nine years later, Allieu's experience has led to a ruling against Sierra Leone by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) court of justice, which described FGM as 'one of the worst forms of violence against women' which 'meets the threshold for torture'. The case, filed by Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP), We Are Purposeful, and Allieu, held the government liable for human rights violations due to its failure to criminalise FGM. The court ordered Sierra Leone 'to enact and implement legislation criminalising female genital mutilation and to take appropriate measures toprohibit its occurrence and protect victims'. Though the UN passed a resolution to ban FGM in 2012, it is still practised in about 30 countries. In Sierra Leone, a national survey in 2019 found that 83% of women had undergone FGM, with 71% of them subjected to the practice before the age of 15. There is no law explicitly criminalising the procedure, part of a traditional initiation ritual that marks a girl's entry into womanhood, carried out by senior members of Bondo societies. Every year, women and children are left with health complications, and some die, as a result of such rituals. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the removal of part or all of the external genitalia for nonmedical reasons, as defined by the World Health Organization. There are different types of cutting: removal of the clitoris and/or its hood; removing the clitoris and the inner fold of the vulva (labia minora); and the narrowing of the vaginal opening by cutting and repositioning the labia minora through stitching. Also known as infibulation, this has the worst health consequences. The fourth type of cutting includes other forms of injury to the genitalia such as incising, scraping or cauterising. Since traditional practitioners use razor blades or knives, with no anaesthesia, girls experience excruciating pain and are at risk of severe bleeding and infections which can lead to sepsis. Some do not survive. For the girls, who are often married off soon after genital cutting, sex is traumatic and painful, and enjoying sex will always be difficult unless they have surgical reconstruction. In pregnancy, delivery is often risky due to obstructed and prolonged labour. Women are at risk of developing obstetric fistula (an abnormal opening between a woman's genital tract and her urinary tract or rectum) which can cause incontinence – leading to shame, stigma and rejection from their partners. When members of the Bondo society had finished mutilating Allieu, she was dragged to another room and left in a pool of blood for three days, until police found her and took her to hospital. She had three operations to fix some of the damage that had been inflicted. After the third operation, Allieu remembers the doctor telling her 'he had never seen this level of wickedness'. Even so, a crowd, including Bondo society members, marched on the hospital, calling for Allieu to be handed over. The woman who had cut her was very influential and was angry that Allieu had escaped, with the help of the police. Unable to walk, Allieu was dragged by staff to the basement to hide. 'I felt like this was the end of the road,' says Allieu. 'I was in so much pain, I was tired and had nothing left.' Police and soldiers were called to protect the hospital and the crowd dispersed, but remaining in the hospital was impossible. One of Allieu's neighbours worked for the UN and offered to drive her to the border with Liberia so she could leave the country. She made it to the other side and after 14 days arrived at a friend's house. Over the next five years, Allieu was helped by various people and organisations. She also met someone who offered to help after hearing her story, and paid for her to go abroad for surgery on her injuries. After her trauma had subsided and she found out there had been a change of government, Allieu's thoughts turned to her family, especially her son who was 10 when she left. She decided to return to Sierra Leone. 'People saw me, said I was dead and came to feel me to check I was alive,' she says. 'When I saw my son and my family, it was good, I was happy.' Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion When word spread she was back, an activist got in touch and introduced her to Yasmin Jusu-sheriff, a human rights lawyer and former vice-chair of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, who was instrumental, among others, in bringing the case to Ecowas. The ruling on 8 July comes at a critical time in the fight against FGM in Sierra Leone. A few weeks before, on 21 June, the president of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, became chair of Ecowas, marking a historic moment as the first Sierra Leonean head of state to hold the position. He has yet to acknowledge the ruling publicly. Meanwhile, celebrations at the passing of the Child Rights Act 2025 in Sierra Leone in early July were tempered when parliament issued a press release on 7 July stating that the act, which prohibits all forms of violence against children, including physical and mental abuse, 'does not contain any provision imposing a fine, penalty, or punishment specifically addressing FGM'. The act is awaiting presidential assent. But as there is no mention of banning FGM, Josephine Kamara, advocacy and communications manager at Purposeful, says: 'If we can't name a violent action for what it is, and boldly call it out, we cannot begin to end it.' 'Politically and internationally, the situation just does not look good,' says Jusu-sheriff. 'Since the president is chairman of Ecowas, and in light of the Ecowas decision, let him send the act back to parliament and let them rethink it.' She adds: 'The matter is in his hands, and his hands alone. He holds the sword of Damocles over himself. This is the thing that will determine whether he will go down as the greatest, most human rights-loving president of all time, or not.' Allieu, who is bringing a separate case in Sierra Leone against the woman who mutilated her, is due to be awarded $30,000 (£22,000) in compensation as part of the Ecowas ruling. She says she can't find work because of the public stigma surrounding her case, but wants to use the money to further her education and become an activist. 'I really want the government to look into this, especially the sitting president with his power as head of state,' she says. 'I want him to honour the ruling of the Ecowas court and [make it so] the Child Rights Act can help eradicate FGM.'
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
NHS is ‘failing' British FGM victims
The NHS has been accused of 'failing' victims of female genital mutilation (FGM) by not providing the correct care for survivors. Women and girls are forced to leave the UK to have reconstructive surgery abroad due to the lack of treatment available in Britain, The Telegraph has found. Germany has emerged as one of the main destinations for victims of the practice, with many having to crowdfund up to £30,000 to afford the travel and surgery due to NHS failings, survivors say. FGM involves the cutting of the genitals and is often justified by those who advocate for it as a cultural and religious norm. But it is illegal in most countries, including in Africa and Asia, where it is most prevalent. Human rights groups say the practice is a violation of a woman's sexuality and autonomy. The World Health Organisation states FGM has no health benefits for girls and women and can result in severe bleeding, problems urinating and infections. According to the organisation's updated guidelines, countries should provide comprehensive, trauma-informed care for FGM survivors, including access to reconstructive surgery and effective psychosocial support. The UK falls short of that. Only about 10 per cent of the UK's estimated 170,000 FGM survivors, approximately 17,000 women, are eligible for the NHS's sole surgical intervention – deinfibulation. Deinfibulation is the surgical opening of scar tissue formed from FGM. It is limited to treating only those with Type 3 FGM, the most severe form, which consists of the removal of part or all of the external genitalia and the stitching together of the vaginal opening (often called infibulation). This leaves roughly 153,000 women without any surgical option. Numbers are estimated to be even higher, with many cases not recorded in official statistics. Shamsa Araweelo, an FGM survivor living with chronic pain, was forced to raise £30,000 for reconstructive surgery in Germany, where work in the field is among the most pioneering in Europe. She said: 'The NHS failed to provide me with the healthcare I needed. 'No survivor should have to crowdfund their right to a pain-free life. 'Even if I did have a deinfibulation in the UK, it would mean that they would open you up until they can see the urethra, and then they stop. The NHS won't repair any of the damage.' Dr Dan mon O'Dey, a specialist in reconstructive surgery, said he's seen an influx of patients from the UK visit his practice in Heidelberg, Germany. He said: 'Every week, I have contact with new patients from England… every week, two to three more patients coming from England. 'What I hear, especially from patients… is that [FGM surgery] is something that needs to be improved in England.' His clinic offers procedures beyond deinfibulation, including full reconstructive surgery and structured aftercare. He said deinfibulation has benefits for the patient, especially the ability to urinate freely, but 'more care and treatment might be needed to ensure long-term comfort and prevent complications'. Huda Mohamed, an MBE recipient and a lead specialist midwife at the Whittington, said: 'In Germany, they'll have aftercare, they'll have ongoing support.' Ms Mohamed highlighted that the unmet needs of those with Type 1 and Type 2 FGM can still cause chronic infections, painful menstruation and problems in childbirth, despite it being less severe than Type 3. She said: 'Sometimes they damage the nerves… the women complain about not being able even to wear tight clothes… we don't have that specialist thing. We can't do reconstruction.' July is deemed the 'cutting season', a period during school holidays when girls are considered to be at heightened risk of being taken abroad – mostly to East Africa – to undergo female genital mutilation. In 2023, Amina Noor was convicted of assisting a non-UK person to carry out the procedure overseas 17 years ago. It was the first conviction of its kind under the FGM Act of 2003 and followed the only other successful prosecution related to FGM, in 2019, when a Ugandan woman from east London, was jailed for 11 years for cutting a three-year-old girl. Leyla Hussein, an activist and a survivor, said: 'Because of the convictions they are now taking girls younger and younger. They know now they have to be more careful.' According to research published in February by the University of Birmingham, a girl dies every 12 minutes as a result of FGM-related complications. Ms Hussein said the UK's limited surgical provision for FGM survivors was woefully inadequate. She said: 'Just deinfibulation is not enough… I can give as much therapeutic support as I can but reconstructive surgery would be life-changing for these women. 'The NHS has a duty of care to these women. These are British women. These are women who are suffering, and it's literally a basic duty of care.' The UK's last campaign to raise awareness of FGM was in 2018 and ended in January 2023, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The Government hosts resources on FGM, but does not specify that it is a form of child abuse and violence against women and girls. An NHS spokesman said: 'The NHS is committed to supporting FGM survivors, which is why it has rolled out more than 20 national FGM support clinics across England, where patients can receive a range of support, including referral to a specialist consultant where needed. 'All NHS healthcare professionals have responsibilities to safeguard women and girls at risk of FGM or other abuse, and FGM is part of mandatory safeguarding training for staff.' Juliet Albert, a NHS midwife and advocate for FGM reconstructive surgery, said, 'We are failing FGM survivors. 'It's embarrassing that the UK has not taken this forward for all these years. I mean, in France, since 1998 more than 7,000 women have had reconstruction surgery, and yet we don't even offer it here.'
Zawya
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Eritrea: Nakfa Sub-Zone Declares Free of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
As a result of a rigorous awareness campaign to eradicate harmful practices, Nakfa sub-zone has officially declared itself free of female genital mutilation (FGM). At the declaration event, Mr. Yakob Idris, administrator of the sub-zone, stated that the achievement is the result of the active and conscious participation of the public, government institutions, and national associations. He emphasized that maintaining this status is a shared responsibility. Religious leaders, noting that FGM has no connection to religious teachings, commended the initiative and called for integrated efforts and participation to ensure its sustainability. Mr. Rezene Feseha, chairman of the committee for the rights of children and women, said the declaration in Nakfa sub-zone reflects the coordinated efforts conducted at the regional level and called for continued active involvement by all. The event featured cultural and artistic performances to mark the occasion. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
Fox News
10-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Trump's Justice Department targets doctors, clinics who provide sex change procedures to minors
The Justice Department on Wednesday said it has subpoenaed more than 20 doctors and clinics that are involved in providing minors with sex change procedures. The agency is investigating healthcare fraud, false statements and more, it said. "Medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. The DOJ did not disclose which doctors or clinics have been served with subpoenas. In April, Bondi issued a memo stating that the DOJ would be investigating and prosecuting those who offer sex change treatments for minors. Bondi said she was instructing all U.S. attorneys to investigate all suspected cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) under the "banner of so-called 'gender-affirming care'" and to "prosecute all FGM offenses to the fullest extent possible." Bondi also ordered the DOJ's Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch to investigate manufacturers and distributors engaged in misbranding by making false claims about the on- or off-label use of puberty blockers, sex hormones or any other drug used to facilitate a child's sex change. In the first days of his second administration, President Donald Trump issued an executive order barring the federal government from funding, sponsoring, promoting, assisting or supporting sex changes for children. The order also pledged to rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit the procedures on minors. "Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child's sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions," the order states. "This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation's history, and it must end." In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that a Tennessee law banning specific transgender medical treatments for adolescents in the state is not discriminatory.
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
DoJ subpoenas more than 20 clinics and doctors who offer gender-affirming care to minors
The US Department of Justice said on Wednesday it had sent more than 20 subpoenas to clinics and doctors who offer gender-affirming care to minors. It was not immediately clear to whom the requests were sent and the kind of information that was requested. The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, issued a memo on 22 April saying the justice department would investigate and prosecute those who were providing transgender care to children. The memo instructed federal prosecutors 'to investigate all suspected cases of [female genital mutilation] – under the banner of so-called 'gender-affirming care' or otherwise-and to prosecute all FGM offenses to the fullest extent possible'. Several medical associations have said that transgender care can provide lifesaving treatment for both children and adults, the Guardian has reported. A 2022 study by researchers at Stanford University found better mental health outcomes for transgender people who started receiving hormone therapy as teens compared with those who waited until they were adults. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Bondi's April memo said the department would investigate manufacturers and distributors engaged in misbranding by making false claims about the on- or off-label use of puberty blockers, sex hormones or any other drug used to facilitate a child's gender transition. The department has yet to file charges against anyone in connection with providing transgender care. Nonetheless, the point of the investigation may be to intimidate those who provide care from doing so. 'It's meant to have a chilling effect on physicians providing access to necessary care, fearing that it will be characterized as chemical and surgical mutilation of children,' Robin Maril, a law professor at Willamette University, told NBC News in April. In a 6-3 decision last month, the US supreme court upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. In total, 27 states have laws that limit gender-affirming care for minors, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
