The parliament approved yesterday a draft law toughening penalties against female genital mutilation (FGM).
According to a report released by joint constitutional and legislative committees, the draft law seeks to combat FGM which was described as one of the ugliest social phenomena violating the sanctity of the human body.
House of Deputies (parliament) Speaker Hanafi Gebali said yesterday that Al Azhar had earlier approved a draft law submitted by the government to amend some articles of the penal code to toughen penalties in female genital mutilation (FGM) cases.
The bill had been referred to Al Azhar, which gave it the okay, Gebali said.
The Cabinet had earlier approved amendments to the law, imposing jail terms of up to 20 years as part of efforts to stamp out the ancient practice.
Amendments to the FGM law include increasing the maximum sentence from the current seven years and banning doctors and other medical staff involved in FGM from practicing their profession for up to 5 years.
Under the amendments, prison terms of between five and 20 years will be recommended, depending on who performed the surgery and whether it caused permanent damage or death.
The person requesting FGM will also face imprisonment, according to the amendments.
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