Globally, an estimated 100 to 140 million women and girls from nearly 30 countries have undergone genital mutilation, with the highest rates concentrated in Africa and the Middle East. They are about 20 million in Nigeria alone, or 27 percent of the female population. Last Friday outgoing Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill officially banning the practice. The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 also will prevent men from leaving their families without providing financial support. The new law alone won’t be enough to change entrenched traditions, but it is definitely an important in the right direction.
Nigeria bans female genital mutilation
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