Girls taken to Uganda, Tanzania for ‘vacation cutting’ as Kenya cracks down on FGM – Reuters

The news article featured below is about an act called vacation cutting. This is when a girl is taken to a different country that has less strict or no anti-FGM laws to evade the laws in place. With the recent ruling in Michigan deeming the federal anti-FGM laws in the U.S. to be unconstitutional, the 23 states lacking anti-FGM laws could become FGM havens just as bordering countries are to Kenya. 

NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Girls in Kenya are being taken across the border to countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia and Ethiopia for female genital mutilation (FGM) to avoid a crackdown on the harmful traditional practice at home, campaigners said on Monday.

Kenya criminalised FGM in 2011 with a minimum punishment of three years imprisonment and a U.S. $2,000 fine – spearheading efforts to curb the internationally condemned ritual with the most comprehensive anti-FGM legislation in east Africa.

But while fear of the law – coupled with increased awareness of the harmful effects of FGM – has helped reduce prevalence rates, say campaigners, the deep-rooted practice persists as communities discover new ways to evade prosecution.

Read more here.