Eritrea banned female genital mutilation (FGM) in April. The government has warned anyone taking part in or promoting the practice faces a fine of several hundred dollars or up to 10 years in jail.

Government officials are optimistic the law will force a change in attitudes but others worry the practice is too ingrained for legal threats to have much impact. About 90 percent of Eritrean woman have undergone the ordeal

The U.N. Children's Fund, UNICEF, says Eritrea ranks amongst the worst in the world for FGM and a survey by Eritrea's government in 2002 found less than one percent of circumcisions were performed by trained health professionals

Pirkko Heinonen, the UNICEF representative in Eritrea, says the practice spans Christian and Muslim communities as well as all nine of Eritrea's ethnic groups

Aid workers say cultural traditions will be the biggest barrier to eradicating female circumcision