The girl, Badour Shaker, died this month while undergoing the procedure her mother paid $9 for in an illegal clinic in the southern town of Maghagh. According to the girl's mother, the doctor tried to bribe her to withdraw a lawsuit accusing the physician of murdering her daughter, in return for $3,000, but she refused.
AP reports that the girl's death was caused by an anesthesia overdose and the case has sparked widespread criticism of female circumcision, or genital mutilation, which involved the removal of the clitoris and other parts of female genitalia. Those who practice it say it controls a girl's sexual desire and maintains her honor.
The dangerous and painful procedure is practiced by Muslims and Christians alike. It is deeply rooted in the Nile Valley region and parts of sub-Saharan African, and is also done in Yemen and Oman.
The Egyptian Health Ministry issued a decree stating that it is "prohibited for any doctors, nurses, or any other person to carry out any cut of, flattening or modification of any natural part of the female reproductive system, either in government hospitals, nongovernment hospitals or any other places."
The notification also stated that those who do not follow the ban would be penalized. Though the procedure was made illegal in Egypt in 1997, it was allowed in exceptional cases.
Nearly 97 percent of married women in Egypt had undergone this procedure according to a survey in 2005. The practice is also common in the south and many other parts despite educational efforts by human rights organizations.
