Ournou Toure, a native of Guinea, was recently allowed to stay in Canada permanently with her 2-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son. Toure was forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) at the age of nineteen when her stepmother was preparing to marry her to a stranger. Toure won her battle to stay in Canada when she asserted that if forced to return to Guinea, her daughter would face the same procedure by her family. Due to the fact that FGM is outlawed in Guinea, Toure had to prove both that the law is not enforced and that her daughter would be in danger of the practice being inflicted on her. Female genital mutilation is commonly practiced in 28 countries in Africa, as well as some countries in Asia and the Middle East. The World Health Organization estimates that 2 million girls annually are at risk. Problems resulting from FGM can include higher maternal and infant mortality rates, as well as continuing pain from the procedure.
Compiled from: Guinea Woman Savors Victory in Hard-Won FGM Case, Women’s E-News, 29 July 2007.