Colombia Fights Female Genital Mutilation • FRANCE 24 English
Why It Matters
Banning FGM in Colombia would protect thousands of girls from life‑threatening harm and signal a regional shift toward stronger gender‑based human‑rights protections.
Key Takeaways
- •Colombia's Congress debates first national ban on female genital mutilation.
- •Ember community women lead legislative push to end FGM practices.
- •Traditional belief links FGM to fidelity and masculinity myths.
- •Health risks include infection, chronic pain, childbirth complications, death.
- •UN estimates 230 million women worldwide face FGM annually.
Summary
Colombia’s Congress is debating its first national legislation to outlaw female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that still occurs in parts of the Ember indigenous community in the coffee‑growing mountains. The bill, championed by Ember women leaders, seeks to criminalize the cutting of girls’ external genitalia, a rite traditionally justified by myths that it prevents infidelity and “male‑like” growth.
Midwives in the region use blades or heated nails to perform the excision at birth, exposing girls to severe health risks such as infection, chronic pain, sepsis, and obstetric complications that can endanger both mother and child. The United Nations estimates that 230 million women and girls worldwide undergo FGM each year, underscoring the global scale of the issue.
One Ember activist told France 24, “People portray us as victims, but this practice was imposed on us; it’s not part of who we are.” She expressed hope that the new law will eradicate the custom and restore the community’s cultural dignity.
If passed, the legislation would set a precedent for Latin America, where legal frameworks against FGM are scarce, and could spur public‑health interventions, education campaigns, and international support to protect women’s rights and reduce preventable morbidity.
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