Kampala (dpa) - Ugandan lawmakers have passed a law criminalizing
female genital mutilation with sentences for those found guilty
ranging from five years to life imprisonment, a spokesperson for
parliament said Friday.
"The law was unanimously passed yesterday," parliament
spokesperson Hellen Kawesa told the German Press Agency dpa.
Women's groups have long condemned the partial or complete removal
of external female genitalia, a practice rife among some tribes in
the north-east of the country.
Advocacy groups and human rights bodies say girls who undergo the
rite sometimes die during the operations, others get infected with
diseases and still others face complications when giving birth.
According to the law, a person found guilty of carrying out
female genital mutilation that resulted in the death, injury or
infection of the victim with AIDS, is liable to life imprisonment.
The law also says that a person convicted of genital mutilation
is liable to a jail term not exceeding 10 years, while people who
participate or aid in the process will be imprisoned for a term not
exceeding five years.
Copyright 2009 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH