B. Female genital mutilation b1. Legislative, administrative and judicial measures Article 11 of the Constitution guarantees the right to physical integrity. Section 232(b) (new) of the Penal Code provides for and punishes female genital mutilation. Article 19 of the CRC protects children against maltreatment. b2. Limitations: These practices are rooted in the local customs:  The existence of women who are excision practitioners;  The difficulty of enforcing instruments. b3. Achievements :  Enforcement of instruments by magistrates: in 2005, an excision practitioner was sentenced to 3 months of imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 Francs.  MPF/PE‟s advocacy in collaboration with NGOs and Associations led to the adoption of instruments of criminal law on female genital mutilation.  Sensitization of excision practitioners and their reconversion to incomegenerating activities. C. Forms of harmful social and cultural practices (article 211b) c1. Legislative, administrative and judicial measures These practices are not the subject of any specific regulations. They are: removal of the uvula, tribal scarification, food taboos and the practice of gavage. These practices tend to phase out naturally, because they are more or less abandoned. In urban areas, sensitization on gender also helped to reduce gender-based discrimination against children. c2. Limitations c3. Achievements h) Children from a minority group (article 26) f1. Legislative, administrative and judicial measures Article 18 of the Constitution establishes this right, especially the equality of all before the law without distinction as to sex or social, racial, ethnic or religious background. The last paragraph of the same article guarantees to foreigners the same rights and freedoms as Niger nationals under conditions determined by law. The Penal Code in its section 102 cracks down on misdemeanours and felonies of a racial, regionalistic and religious nature. 45