'My grandmother subjected my baby to female genital mutilation behind my back'

What the report says

Colombia has become the first country in Latin America to outlaw female genital mutilation, after Congress approved a bill unanimously and activists described the move as a milestone. The BBC reports that the new law follows years of campaigning by Indigenous advocates, health workers and lawmakers concerned about a practice that has persisted in some Emberá communities, often in secret and affecting very young girls.

The article centres on Carla Quiñonez, an Emberá activist who says her baby daughter was cut by a great-grandmother without her knowledge. She told the BBC the child became feverish, swollen and bleeding after being returned to her, and that she later realised the family had treated the injury as a normal traditional practice. Quiñonez says she only understood the scale of the harm as an adult and now believes some childhood deaths in her community may have been linked to FGM-related complications.

Paediatrician Diana Ramos Mosquera told the BBC that recorded cases are likely only a fraction of the total and that some girls she has examined showed signs of scarring or serious injury. She argues the response should include education as well as legal enforcement. The report also quotes Emberá representative Juliana Domico, who says the practice is not culture but violence, and urges the government to turn the law into practical policy and resources.

The BBC notes that the Emberá are one of Colombia’s largest Indigenous groups and that the reasons for FGM in the country are contested, with some theories pointing to historical, social or patriarchal beliefs. The new ban matters because it gives authorities a legal basis to act, while also highlighting the challenge of changing deeply rooted practices and improving access to health care and protection for affected girls.