Uganda to pass law banning female genital mutilation
KAMPALA — Uganda will pass a law banning female genital mutilation, which is rampant among pastoralist tribes in the country's eastern region, the president said in a statement Friday.
"The way God made it, there is no part of a human body that is useless," President Yoweri Museveni told a gathering in the eastern Karamoja district.
"Now you people interfere with God's work. Some say it is culture. Yes, I support culture but you must support culture that is useful and based on scientific information," he added.
Last year, the United Nations passed a resolution that called female genital mutilation a violation of the rights of women and said it constituted "irreparable, irreversible abuse."
The resolution also said female circumcision increases the risk of HIV transmission, as well as maternal and infant mortality. The UN estimates that between 100 million to 140 million worldwide have undergone the practice.
- AFP
Related Posts
- The Battle in Uganda Over Female Condoms
- Ethiopia: CETU says building capacity of female workers
- Sudan: Female journalist faces 40 lashes for choice of clothes
- Ethiopia: Women Caucus discusses boosting female journalists' participation
- Ethiopia: University striving to build capacity of female students