'My grandmother subjected my baby to female genital mutilation behind my back'

This could help explain its prevalence in Risaralda, Chocó and Valle del Cauca, neighbouring departments that either are home to, or border, large Afro-Colombian populations.Another theory is that the birth of an intersex child, hundreds of years ago, left the community with a fear of the clitoris - with many older women believing that it will grow into a penis if not cut.Others think that it stems from the patriarchal belief that a woman with an organ associated with sexual pleasure is more likely to be promiscuous.Whatever its origin, Juliana Domico, the legal representative and chief Indigenous councillor to the Colombia" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="178445" data-entity-type="organization">National Confederation of the Peoples of the Great Emberá Nation of Colombia, rejects the idea that the practice is cultural."Our culture is our clothing, our crafts, our dances and our language, not a practice that kills. Culture does not kill."She says the new law follows years of advocacy work within the community: "We hope the law is translated into public policy, with sufficient resources to implement it."Threats and hostilityQuiñonez says while FGM is considered a 'woman's issue', male authority figures have created obstacles to change