18 Jan, 2010, Africa

Thirty four Islamic scholars in Mauritania signed a fatwa or a religious opinion to ban the practice of female genital mutilation. The fatwa signed in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott states that the procedure has been proven to be harmful either at the time or subsequently.

The Female genital mutilation has been recognized all over the world as a violation of the human rights of the girls and women. But the message has been slow to filter down in parts of east, north and West Africa where the practice is still widespread. The Health campaigners estimate that more than 70 percent of Mauritanian girls undergo the partial or total removal of their external genitalia for non-medical reasons.

The WHO-World Health Organization says that there are no health benefits and many potentially damaging consequences, from severe pain and blood loss to recurrent infections, infertility and an increased risk of complications in childbirth. The Mutilations are carried out for a mix of cultural and social reasons, and many believe the practice has Islamic religious support as well. The collective fatwa will greatly reduce the female genital mutilation in Mauritania as it would remove the religious mask that is hidden behind the practice. Now a publicity campaign will now be needed if the fatwa’s message is to be spread into outlying areas where genital mutilation is most common.