Sudan Puts a Stop to Travel Permits for Women and Apostasy

In a victory for girls and women, recently in Sudan, FGM, the practice where the external genitalia of girls is removed, has been banned. It is considered a violation of human rights by the World Health Organization.

Furthermore, the sovereignty eliminated travel permits for women, especially for women travelling with their children. This stands as another positive step in securing women's rights in Sudan.

And in a major reversal, Sudanese will no longer be prosecuted for apostasy, or abandoning Islam. Sharia law forbid a Muslim woman from marrying outside of her religion.

A recent highly-publicised case was that of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, a Sudanese woman who married a South Sudanese Christian and was jailed in 2014 for her beliefs.

There is a community of Sudanese Christians who hail from the Nuba mountains near the South Sudan border or who live in Khartoum. Some Sudanese are Animists.

Source: RFI