Fatwa in Somaliland against genital mutilation girls

[Deeq A.]

Earlier, a proposal was already passed to make rape punishable.

Street scene in Somaliland.

 

Somaliland, the country in the Horn of Africa that separated from Somalia in 1991, is taking steps forward in the protection of girls and women. Last month the parliament adopted a proposal to make rape punishable. And this week, the Ministry of Religious Affairs announced a fatwa against female genital mutilation, according to the Voice of America channel.

Somaliland, about four million inhabitants, is predominantly sunni. So far, rape is not punishable and victims were often forced to marry their attacker to prevent public humiliation.

The parliament was elected directly in 2005 for the first time. If the bill is ratified by the more conservative House of the Elderly, with traditional clan leaders, rapists can get up to 30 years in prison.

The scope of the fatwa against circumcision is unclear. The text refers to a prohibition of “all forms of circumcision that are in conflict with religion” – including heavy forms of genital mutilation such as the cutting away of parts of the sexual organ and the (partially) stitching of the vagina. That is not unusual in the region. When a girl undergoes such circumcision, she is entitled to compensation, according to the text. Who has to pay is unclear.

NRC