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Sudanese activists skeptical female genital mutilation law will stop practice

Sudanese activists told Al-Monitor that female circumcision continues in rural communities and that laws prevent women's rights.
Sudanese women walk in the capital Khartoum's district of Jureif Ghar on May 5, 2020. - Sudan's cabinet approved amendments to the criminal code that would punish those who perform Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) with up to three years in prison and a fine. The practice has long been viewed, especially in rural communities, as a "rite of passage" for girls and a way to preserve their chastity. Rights groups have for years decried as barbaric the practise which can lead to myriad physical, psychological and

Sudan reportedly made female genital mutilation illegal in late April, drawing praise from the international community. But some female activists in the African country say this will not lead to the end of the harmful practice.

One Sudanese leader of a civil society organization working for women’s rights said that the state is duping the outside world on the issue in the same way it did under deposed former ruler Omar al-Bashir.

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