CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has ratified amendments to the penal code submitted by the House of Representatives that introduce harsher penalties for the crime of female genital mutilation.

According to the new amendment, whoever performs the procedure by partially or completely removing any part of a female’s external genitalia, or inflicts injuries to those organs, shall be punished by five to seven years of imprisonment.

But the penalty will be imprisonment with hard labor for a period of no less than 10 years if the procedure results in death.

If a doctor or nurse performs the procedure and it results in a permanent disability, they will face prison time with hard labor of no less than 10 years.

They will face 15 to 20 years of prison time with hard labor if the procedure results in death.

In addition to the previous penalties, doctors and nurses will be prohibited from practicing their professions for a period of between three and five years, which begins following the punishment. 

Authorities will also close down private facilities in which procedures are performed for the duration in which the doctors or nurses will be prevented from practicing their profession.

A person who requests the procedure of female genital mutilation be performed will also face prison time if the request is fulfilled.

Anyone who promotes, encourages or advocates, in one of the methods set forth in Article 171 of this law, to commit the crime of female genital mutilation will face prison time even if their actions have no effect.