SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Sudan Finally Banned Female Genital Mutilation. But Will This Be Enforced?
Siddharth Chatterjee, the UN Resident Coordinator to Kenya, suggests ways that Sudan can enforce its criminalisation of FGM, given the culture of fear and secrecy protecting perpetrators which leaves FGM “notoriously difficult to prosecute.”
Chaterjee calls for a widespread awareness campaign engaging with communities, “particularly men,” religious leaders, as well as local and regional ambassadors, to highlight FGM’s adverse health impacts and the “baseless superstitions about its benefits.”
Chaterjee also calls for the large reservoir of army veterans from all parts of Sudan to be utilised as “agents of positive change in their villages and communities.”
Chaterjee concludes that Sudan’s criminalisation of FGM presents an opportunity for Sudan to act as a regional and global leader on women's rights issues.