Somalia’s Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has publicly backed a campaign to ban female genital mutilation (FGM) in his country.
The PM joined more than a million others by signing an online petition calling for a comprehensive ban on the practice.
FGM is against Somalia’s constitution, but parliament is yet to pass any bill outlawing the practice.
The UN children’s agency, Unicef, estimates that more than 90% of Somali girls undergo FGM.
It says that the practice is majorly carried out on four to eleven year olds, and can have a long-lasting impact on the girl’s physical and mental health.
Campaigners against the vice have however acknowledged that it will take more than a law to end the practice. Most say that incorporation of the campaign in the country’s education as well as willingness to enforce the legislation will go a long way in helping kick out the vice.
