Feminist Daily News Wire

Friday 06 October 2006

The Indonesian government announced this week that it is prohibiting doctors and nurses from performing female genital cutting. According to Reuters, some Indonesian groups encourage families to perform female genital mutilation, possibly to maintain chastity and virginity before marriage and to ensure faithfulness in the women's marriage.

Sri Hermiyanti, head of the Indonesian health ministry's family health directorate, said, "Hurting, damaging, incising and cutting of the clitoris are not permitted under the ban, because these acts violate the reproductive rights of these girls and harm their organs," reports Kaiser. However, there are no punishments in place for those who violate the ban, and it is expected that it will take time for traditional communities to stop performing female genital mutilation.