Colombia’s Senate today passed a bill banning female genital mutilation (FGM) after a long struggle by women’s rights activists.
The ‘Girls Without Mutilation Act’ was passed unanimously in the last session of the National Assembly and only needs the approval of the President to come into effect.
Colombia is the last country in the Americas where FGM, a ritual linked to the Embera indigenous community, is still practiced.
Between January 2024 and March 2026, the government registered 98 girls who had undergone FGM. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines FGM as “a procedure involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other damage to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.” The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 230 million women worldwide are victims of FGM, the majority living in Africa.
This procedure carries risks including bleeding, infection, severe pain, and death. The existence of female genital mutilation in Colombia was unknown until 2007, when two Embera girls died after being mutilated.
The law was authored by Representatives Jennifer Pedraza, Alexandra Vásquez, and Carolina Giraldo and Senator Angélica Lozano.
The bill was developed in consultation with academics, community groups and women from the Embera community.
“Therefore, a preventive and cultural approach is needed rather than a punitive one.
Protects victims and potential victims of these practices primarily.
among newborn girls,” he said in a press release after the bill passed.
Featured Image Caption: Carolina Giraldo, Jennifer Pedraza and Alexandra Vásquez smile after the bill was passed.
Image credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Pedraza
