Egypt bans female circumcision

Egypt has banned all female circumcision after the death this week of a 12-year-old girl undergoing the widely practised procedure.
Budour Ahmad Shaker died from an overdose of anaesthetic at a private clinic in Minya province in upper Egypt during the $9 (£4.50) operation. Her parents are threatening to sue the doctor involved after he reportedly tried to bribe them to withdraw their complaint.

Female circumcision, which involves the removal of the clitoris, and is also called female genital mutilation, was made illegal in Egypt in 1997. But the painful and sometimes deadly practice was allowed in exceptional cases, and is common in the south despite educational efforts by human rights organisations. President Hosni Mubarak's wife, Suzanne, has been an active campaigner on the issue.



Article courtesy

Egypt bans female circumcision after death of 12-year-old girl


Ian Black, Middle East editor
The Guardian