Somaliland, the breakaway self-declared republic of Somalia has issued a religious ban, a fatwa, on female genital mutilation (FGM). Issued by the state’s Ministry of Religious Affairs on Tuesday, the edict coincided with the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.
Although it promised punishment for perpetrators and compensation for victims of the act, the edict did not elaborate on the type or severity of punishment. It also did not say from whom the compensation will be paid, the government or violators of the ban. The ban pertains to the most severe form of FGM called infibulation, the most common type of FGM performed in Somaliland, where the external genitalia are removed and the vaginal opening is sewn or sealed closed.
Reuters