One Hand Claps

So, Sierra Leone has banned child marriage. There will be those that will stand up and applaud this step forward. I'm going to save my praise, since they have refused to ban Female Genital Mutilation.

It is abhorrent in this day and age that someone can marry a child and still not break the law - I'm glad that Sierra Leone has banned this. But it is equally abhorrent that girls can have their genitalia hacked away. And those governing Sierra Leone have refused to ban this.

If both had been banned, I would be happy to congratulate that country on a massive step forward. But by not only failing to ban Female Gential Mutilation but also to remove it from a the ban from a bill in a closed session of parliament warrants nothing but disgust. So you can look elsewhere for applause on this one.