Colombia criminalizes female genital mutilation after activist-led campaign within Emberá community

Colombia became the first Latin American nation to outlaw female genital mutilation after its Congress voted unanimously for the measure. The law stems from a prolonged campaign led by activists like Carla Quiñonez, whose own infant daughter suffered the procedure at the hands of a great-grandmother. Pediatrician Diana Ramos Mosquera notes at least 240 cases have been documented since 2020, though she believes many more go unseen.

Within the Emberá Indigenous community, which spans Colombia, Ecuador and Panama, the practice is linked to historic myths and patriarchal beliefs, but its legal representative Juliana Domico now argues it is not cultural. The ban aims to treat FGM as gender-based violence, emphasizing education over punishment, while activists report receiving threats for their work.