By Ben Thompson
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a practice in which a girl or woman’s external genitalia is partially or totally removed. Though it is most prevalent in African countries such as Sudan and Egypt, it is a global problem that affects 3 million women each year.
In Britain, it has been a criminal offence to perform this ‘operation’ or to aid anybody in carrying it out since 1985. However, it is only very recently that anybody has been convicted under this law.
A 37-year-old mother has been found guilty of mutilating her 3-year-old daughter. Her 43-year-old partner was on trial for the same offence, but received an acquittal. When her verdict was read out in court, the mother from East London wept in the dock.
The anonymous woman was warned of a ‘lengthy sentence’ by Mrs Justice Whipple. As it currently stands, this offence is punishable by 14 years in prison.
This conviction comes after four previous attempts to enforce the law ended in acquittals for the accused.
FGM campaigner Aneeta Prem admitted the process to conviction was difficult – “People are scared to come forward, professionals are scared to come forward to report this. The fact that we have a conviction today is a really historic moment.”
Home Secretary Sajid Javid condemned the practice and welcomed the conviction on Twitter:
I welcome this landmark conviction. Female Genital Mutilation is a sickening, depraved, form of child abuse & we will do all we can to ensure all perpetrators are brought to justice https://t.co/Rbb3sbGGEv
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) February 1, 2019
Medics had alerted police after treating the young girl, who had lost a substantial amount of blood due to her injuries. The mother claimed ‘she fell on metal and and it ripped her private parts’.
The mother was born in Uganda, but has been living in the UK for several years. FGM is illegal in both countries.
She will be handed a prison sentence on the 8th March – a sentence that campaigners against the gruesome practice hope will be the first of many.
Following the passing of iconic Stone Roses and Primal Scream Bassist Gary ‘Mani’ Mountfield, there have been growing calls for him to be immortalised in a way that reflects both his cultural impact and the deep affection shared between the musician and his home city. GRIT Studios has answered the calls from fans, announcing plans…
Featured image: Evie Peattie Often overshadowed in popular narratives by the heritage houses of Paris or Milan, London’s fashion ecosystem has long traded on creative freedom. As London Fashion Week prepares for its 42nd year, running from the 19 to 23 February, the British capital is poised to reaffirm its reputation not simply as a…
Featured image: Sebastian Garraway Beats vibrate through a polished floor. Bodies move with a swinging grace, surrendering to the rhythm without hesitation. An instinctual sliding jig sways wide-legged jeans cut just above the ankle. Sweat drips from sharp scissor-cut hairstyles onto porous Fred Perry polos. You’ve guessed it: Northern Soul. The late 1960s phenomenon is…
Featured image: Evangeline Causton Local lad Harry Styles will take to the stage at Manchester’s Co-op Live for the city’s first-ever Brit Awards, before returning for his one-night-only show on March 6 to celebrate the arrival of his fourth album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. When cryptic billboards bearing the words “WE BELONG TOGETHER” appeared across Manchester city…
Leave a reply