The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) called on Egyptian families to refrain from carrying out female circumcision, or rather female genital mutilation (FGM), affirming that this practice violates Egyptian little girls' innocence and their right to live a healthy human life, both physically and psychologically.
As affirmed in a statement issued yesterday, the Council charged several experts in medicine, religion, law, psychology and social sciences with answering to any question about FGM on a free phone line (number: 16000) working 24 hours a day all week long.
The NCCM also receives phone calls on the same line from any family wanting special counseling on this issue. It is also possible to fix an appointment with one of the experts.
According to the statement, the NCCM deplores the death of another victim of FGM, the 13-year-old Karima Rahim Masoud from Manshia el-Yakoubia in Basioun (Gharbia).
The Council severely condemned the doctor who performed the operation that killed Karima and all those practicing this barbaric habit. This is a violation to Decree No. 271 of 2007, issued by the Minister of Health and Population, prohibiting doctors and not only them from carrying out FGM, punishing all violators.
The NCCM warned that some individuals, satellite TV stations, websites or any civil society institution publicize FGM for alleged, but untrue, religious, moral or medical reasons.
The Council pointed out that these people all contribute to the killing of innocent people such as Karima and Boadour and to inflicting physical and psychological damages to many girls and women.
It said that all Egyptians keen to protect their daughters' health and life must immediately report to the SOS children line (16000) any case where FGM is performed or anyone, be it doctors or others, intend to do so.
The Council praised the role played by the Ministry of Health and Population, its precise following up on Karima's passing, and the serious measures taken to punish the doctor that caused her death.
The Ministry shut down this doctor's clinic, withdrew his license, referred him to the general prosecution and asked the General Syndicate of Doctors to ban him from practicing.
