XUNICEF News and Views

"Though FGM was criminalised in The Gambia in 2015, some seeking to overturn the ban argue that it violates religious freedom and is against the country’s cultur­al practices. The bill will now go to a committee of MPs for further consideration. Survivors of FGM and activists had hoped it would be thrown out. They said that not only did the practice cause lifelong damage but it was also against a woman’s right to bodily autonomy. Click here for the article  in the Ghanaian Times Click here for Gambia may become the first nation to reverse the ban  - CBS News Editor's Note:  An earlier version of this post wrongly identified the country as Ghana.  The proposal to reverse the ban is in the Gambia, not Ghana.  The article appeared in the Ghanaian Times, and hence the confusion.  We apologize for the error and thank our reader, John James, for calling our attention.

  It has been three years since Sudan’s government banned female genital mutilation. But UNICEF says it is still going on. The UN children’s agency says the frequency of FGM was dropping before the ban, but it is a practice still being carried out within some families and communities. Al Jazeera's Hiba Morgan reports from Khartoum, Sudan.