Female genital mutilation continues in some Embera communities in Colombia’s Risaralda region, posing severe health risks. Congress is now debating legislation, spearheaded by Indigenous women, aimed at eradicating this harmful practice.

In Colombia’s Risaralda region, female genital mutilation persists in some Indigenous Embera communities, despite severe health risks including infection, complications in childbirth and death. For the first time, Congress is debating a bill to ban the practice, led in part by Indigenous women calling for its eradication.