The outgoing President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has signed a bill officially outlawing the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The law forms part of The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015, and has been passed by the Nigerian senate.

19.9 million Nigerian women living today have reportedly undergone the brutal procedure, which will now result in a maximum prison sentence of four years, and a £650 fine.

FGM has been defined by the United Nations as: ‘all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.’ Most FGM is carried out on girls from infancy to aged 15 years.

The process is typically carried out by a woman with no medical training. Girls are restrained during the procedure, which is conducted without the use of anesthetics or antiseptic. As a result, the side effects include HIV, organ damage and urine infections. The women will also lack pleasure during sex in later life.

140 million women and girls are estimated to have undergone FGM, worldwide, with the majority of these being in the Middle East and Africa.


Read more at http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/lifestyle/549455/nigeria-criminalises-female-genital-mutilation.html#7wD0lKMm5zezFgiQ.99