Senegal
The Demographic and Health Survey (EDS-MICS) 2014 has stated that the prevalence of circumcision is 25% among women aged 15-49 years. There is, however, a disparity in the southern regions – South East (69%) and the North (30%) West (17%) and Central (6%).
Senegal passed its first law making FGM illegal in 1999. The law also modified the country’s Penal Code to make the practice a criminal act, punishable by a sentence of up to five years in prison. But there were still reported cases of the act being practised behind the scenes. So, in 2005, Senegal went a step further and ratified the Maputo Protocol, which advocates for women’s rights and an end to the practice of FGM.
Senegal is now hoping to arrive at a total abandonment of the practice through a national action plan.
