Sudan mulls criminalizing FGM, giving offenders three-year jail terms

The council of ministers in Sudan recently approved amending the country's criminal law to include female genital mutilation as a crime punishable by imprisonment of three years.

Sudan is the only Arab country that has not ratified CEDAW, in addition to the United States, Togo and some islands.

The amendments will be be expected to be submitted to parliament for approval.

Sudan has in recent years witnessed campaigns demanding an end to female genital mutilation and marriage of minors, particularly in rural communities, among many other forms of injustices towards women.

The Sudanese National Council for Child Welfare said it’s conducting a study on The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to discuss the items which the government refuses to sign because they contradict with Islamic sharia and social values.

During a workshop on Advocacy of Child Policies at the Parliament on Tuesday, Omaima Abdul Wahab, the council’s representative, said that they began working on this study, which duration is four years, last year.

After concluding the study, Sudan will decide whether to ratify CEDAW or not, she added.