Eritrea has banned the life-threatening practice of female circumcision,

Anyone who requests, incites or promotes female genital mutilation (FGM) will be punished with a fine and imprisonment. "Female circumcision is a procedure that seriously endangers the health of women, causes them considerable pain and suffering besides threatening their lives,"

94% of Eritrean women have been circumcised.

The practice, which is carried out in both Muslim and Christian communities, can include extensive tissue removal, the stitching up of young girls' vaginas and removing the clitoris. FGM supporters argue that it helps prevent promiscuous behaviour. It can be a dangerous and traumatic procedure which can cause infertility, lead to complications in childbirth and provoke infection and death.

It is outlawed in a number of African countries, but laws are rarely enforced.