Sudan outlaws female genital mutilation in 'new era' for women's rights

Rights groups say new prison threat will help to bring end to practice

Women's problems have gained greater attention after the prominent role women and girls played in nine-month street protests that removed veteran autocrat Omar Al Bashir in April last year. AFP

Sudan has criminalised female genital mutilation, with a penalty of three years in jail, in a move campaigners said heralded a new era for women's rights in the African nation.

Almost nine of every 10 women and girls in Sudan have undergone FGM, UN data shows. The procedure can cause a host of health problems.

Sudan’s transitional government, led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, approved an amendment to its criminal legislation on April 22.

It now states that anyone who performs FGM in a medical centre or elsewhere faces three years' imprisonment and a fine.

Women's rights groups said the punishment would help to end FGM, but warned it would be difficult to change minds in communities that view the traditional practice as necessary to have their daughters married.

"FGM prevalence in Sudan is one of the highest globally," said Faiza Mohamed, Africa director for Equality Now.

"It is now time to use punitive measures to ensure girls are protected from this torturous practice.

"Having a law against FGM acts as an important deterrent. However, Sudan may face challenges in enforcing legislation.

"People who still believe in the practice might not report cases or act to stop FGM when they know it is happening."

Ms Mohamed said that communities might look for ways to avoid detection, while officials who believed the practice was necessary might not uphold the law.

An estimated 200 million girls and women worldwide have undergone FGM, which is practised in at least 27 African countries and parts of Asia and the Middle East.

Girls can bleed to death or die from infections, and it can cause fatal childbirth complications later, health experts say.

In Sudan, more than three quarters of procedures are conducted by nurses, midwives or other medical personnel, campaign group 28 Too Many says.

Sudanese women face threats of child marriage, domestic violence and rape. Yet there are few policies in place to protect them. Marital rape and child marriage are not considered crimes.

But women's problems have gained greater attention in the past year after the prominent role women and girls played in nine-month street protests that removed veteran autocrat Omar Al Bashir in April last year.

The transitional government has pledged to prioritise the women's rights.

Mr Hamdok has appointed women to Cabinet positions of foreign affairs, youth and sports, higher education and labour and social development.

The new government also repealed the Public Order Act, which tightly restricted women's freedom of dress, movement, association, work and study during Mr Al Bashir's three-decade rule.

It prevented women from wearing trousers or leaving their hair uncovered in public, or mixing with men other than their husbands or an immediate relative.

Those found to have contravened the law could be punished by flogging.

Anti-FGM campaigners said criminalisation of the internationally condemned practice was a sign of the new government's commitment to democracy and equality.

"Sudan has truly entered a new era for girls' rights with criminalisation of FGM," tweeted Somalian-born British campaigner Nimco Ali.

"What an incredible day for my sisters and the future of Africa. Sudan, I am so proud of you.

"May Allah give you and your people the peace and democracy you have longed for. And thank you for placing the protection of women and girls at the heart of this new chapter."