Seven non-governmental organisations working in gender rights welcomed the legal amendments made to the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Law, but also expressed their scepticism of the enforcement mechanisms, in a joint statement on Sunday. In late August, the parliament ratified the bill to intensify the penalties in the FGM Law. However, NGOs agreed that the amendments still potentially allow FGM practitioners to flee from justice. Egypt was among the countries that witnessed a fast decline in the prevalence of FGM rates since 1987 through 2015. It ranked sixth among countries which practice FGM worldwide, with 85% of girls and women aged between 15- to 49-years-old having been subjected to the practice.

Source: Daily News Egypt October 16, 2016 15:00 UTC