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In The Gambia, more than half of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have undergone female genital mutilation. A procedure that is internationally classified as a violation of Human Rights. Still, the country's Parliament voted to repeal the ban on excision. A step that set off alarm bells among women in the country and that we address in this broadcast of Ellas Hoy. In addition, we talk about the bail granted to former Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves, the challenges faced by the LGBTIQ+ community in Russia after a new mandate from Vladimir Putin and the step taken by organizations in Ecuador to decriminalize abortion.
In Ellas Hoy we do a weekly review of the most important events and struggles regarding gender. These are the topics that marked the agenda:
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How did The Gambia become the first country that could repeal the ban on female genital mutilation?
The Gambia Parliament took a first step to repeal the ban on female genital mutilation. The congressmen, mostly men, voted in favor of eliminating the law that has protected women and girls in the country since 2015. Now it will have to go to a commission to be definitively voted on.
The determination has set off alarm bells in the African country, where more than half of the women between 15 and 49 years old have undergone the procedure.
“The fallout from this conversation over the last few months has already had a huge impact at the level of our community. We are already seeing that there is an increase in reports of female genital mutilation being carried out openly within our community. So, they can imagine what would happen if this law were repealed,” said Fatou Baldeh, founder of Women in Liberation and Leadership in The Gambia.
Female genital mutilation is recognized as a violation of Human Rights internationally and the World Health Organization warns that it can cause infections, bleeding, severe pain and even death.
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Rejection of bail granted to Dani Alves
Former soccer player Dani Alves was released from prison with conditional and provisional release. Alves paid one million euros to be able to get out of the prison where he had been held for 14 months.
The former Brazilian player was sentenced in February 2024 to four years and six months in prison after being found guilty of raping a woman on December 31, 2022. The sentence, in turn, ruled for five years of supervised release, avoiding contact with the victim for nine years and compensation of 150,000 to the victim
The decision to give him provisional release has generated enormous rejection and criticism of the Spanish Justice. Feminist groups point out that the decision shows that it is a system that does not protect the victims and in which Alves's economic power prevailed.
The former player must remain in Spain while the investigation of the case continues. Both parties have put forward resources and the victim's lawyer expressed deep dissatisfaction with the determination of the Barcelona Court.
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A new mandate from Putin: is the LGBTIQ+ population in the crosshairs?
Russian President Vladimir Putin was re-elected for a new six-year term. A victory at the polls that international organizations warned about due to Putin's speech against the LGBTIQ+ community.
Putin claims to defend “traditional Russian values” and during his time in power he has criticized equal marriage and transgender people. Last year, an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Justice classified the LGBTIQ+ movement as “extremist.”
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Ecuador is moving towards the decriminalization of abortion
In Ecuador, the Justa Libertad National Movement, promoted by 8 human rights social organizations and supported by opinion leaders, artists, activists and various entities of the international community, filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court to decriminalize abortion.
We spoke with Vivian Idrovo, spokesperson for the movement, who assures that this is an “urgent” step and emphasizes that just over 90 safe abortions have been performed in Ecuador since 2021, when abortion was decriminalized only in cases of rape.
According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately every hour seven Ecuadorian women are forced to resort to abortions in unknown and often risky conditions.
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