Colombia has enacted a landmark bill that bans female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that persists among some members of an Indigenous group. The Great Emberá Nation, with approximately 300,000 members primarily in Colombia, and also present in Ecuador and Panama, is one of the largest Indigenous communities in the region.
The origins of FGM within the Emberá community are debated. One theory suggests the practice arrived with enslaved people from African countries, which could explain its prevalence in neighboring departments with large Afro-Colombian populations. Another theory posits that the birth of an intersex child centuries ago instilled a fear of the clitoris, leading older women to believe it must be cut to prevent it from growing into a penis. A third perspective links the practice to patriarchal beliefs that an organ associated with sexual pleasure might lead to promiscuity.
Juliana Domico, the legal representative and chief Indigenous counselor to the National Confederation of the Peoples of the Great Emberá Nation of Colombia, has rejected the notion that FGM is a cultural practice. She stated, "Our culture is our clothing, our crafts, our dances and our language, not a practice that kills. Culture does not kill."
The new law follows years of advocacy efforts within the community. Domico expressed hope that the law will be translated into public policy with sufficient resources for its implementation.