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Uganda government outlaws female circumcision
A Ugandan official says that parliament has passed a bill banning female genital mutilation.
Uganda's Minister of Ethics and Integrity James Nsaba Buturo said that the new law, passed without opposition late Thursday, could give offenders a life sentence.
Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, is practiced mostly in northeastern Uganda on more than 3,000 girls each December.
The practice involves the removal of a girl's clitoris or other genital parts at a young age. Critics say it can lead to complications during childbirth and eliminates any pleasure for women during sex.
Female circumcision is illegal in more than a dozen African countries, although laws are rarely enforced.