- Authorities of Somaliland issue a religious verdict on all violators of FGM elimination
- Victims of FGM in Somaliland will be
Following the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, which held earlier this week, authorities of the Republic of Somaliland have issued a religious edict, called “Fatwa” banning the practice of female genital mutilation and also passed a legislation to punish all violators of the law.
According to the ministry of religion of Somaliland, the Fatwa, which was recently announced by the ministry does not only attracts punishments on its violators, but also includes compensating victims of FGM.
Having said that, the ministry did not disclose the amount of the compensation and whether the compensation will be paid by the government or by violators of the ban.
“It’s forbidden to perform any circumcision that is contrary to the religion which involves cutting and sewing up, like the pharaoh circumcision,”
“Any girl who suffers from pharaoh circumcision will be eligible for compensation depending the extent of the wound and the violation caused. Any one proven to be performing the practice will receive punishment depending on the extent of the violation.” the ministry’s fatwa reads.
Speaking about the FGM and the Fatwa, Somaliland’s representative in Britain, Ayan Mahamoud, said, “The reason that this harmful practice has existed for so long is that people believe it is because our religion or culture dictates that we should do it,”
“The fatwa is basically a message from the government to everyone in Somaliland that there is no religious or cultural basis for FGM”.
The fatwa is a timely development to the ongoing revolution in the country concerning women, having come in less than a month after the country’s parliament approved a bill criminalizing rape with prison terms for those who are convicted.
