Hassan Mohammed becomes first parent in UK charged with Female Genital Mutilation

Poll

Female genital mutilation has its 1st uk case - should Male gential mutilation also?

WC2011

About time? many parents, especially form certain parts of africa such as Somalia or Sudan where these practices have a longer established history, have been coercing uk medical practitioners legally or illegally to practice this ritual. --As a related point, do you think male gential mutilation should also be prosecuted? see poll

(edited 10 years ago)

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Reply 1

Steezy

Have they? ****. Well then yes I suppose it's a good thing. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

Reply 2

DaveSmith99

There's a doctor that's been charged as well. It's good news, but it's crazy that it's taken this long to charge anyone.

Good!

Sicko

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26681364

Reply 6

navarre

It's a start, but we still have a heck of a way to go. We need hundreds of convictions to show that this brutal, barbaric crime is not tolerated. We owe it to the thousands of victims living in this country.

EDIT- can't believe a doctor was allegedly involved. Goes against pretty much every medical ethical principle in the book. Um, do no harm ring any bells? How about beneficence? The doctor has undoubtedly ruined their career if found guilty; I think a few years behind bars would also be reasonable.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 7

tehforum

Original post by navarre

It's all about the evidential difficulties in these cases.

Women are victims who might not even know that it is a crime because it is commonplace in their culture.
As a result, reported FGM is probably low, meaning extremely low prosecution rates.
I can't wait for the sentence, and the judgement.

Reply 8

WC2011

Original post by navarre

some doctors are greedy tbh. but also he probably thought, he already does it anyway to male babies, whats the differnce

Reply 9

mojojojo101

Finally, it's been illegal since 1983...

Note in that time the French have convicted over 100 people of the same crime...

Reply 10

tehforum


44Intentionally encouraging or assisting an offence

(1)A person commits an offence if—

(a)he does an act capable of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence; and

(b)he intends to encourage or assist its commission.

(2)But he is not to be taken to have intended to encourage or assist the commission of an offence merely because such encouragement or assistance was a foreseeable consequence of his act.

That's section s44(1) of the Serious Crime Act 2007. They used it because of its broad ambit. You can prosecute anyone for anything, as long as its in the public interest, and there's enough evidence.

Reply 11

Ronove

I had no idea it was routinely happening in the UK - I presumed girls were being flown to 'visit relatives' and then undergoing the operation abroad - you know, forced marriage style. I still presume a good deal of them happen this way, right?

Reply 12

redferry

Urgh female FGM is so so so sick. Glad people are finally being prosecuted.

As for male gm I voted yes all though honestly I think it should carry a lower sentence because it is not as destructive as fgm. Also within fgm sentences should depend on whether it is type 1,2 or 3 in my opinion.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 13

Radicalathiest

Original post by Ronove

No In fact we have had the opposite happening

Muslims for Europe have been traveling to the UK to get this done to their children.

This has been a specific issue with some french muslims so much so the french government made a complaint to the UK about it.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 14

Kawanami

Its about time the government grew some and started prosecuting parents for this form of child abuse.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 15

Ronove

Original post by redferry

I think deciding whether to have the same sentence or different sentences for MGM and FGM really depends on whether we're looking at it as physical damage or purely from a breach of rights perspective. Also I'm not sure what having different sentences would serve, but that's probably because I view it from the breach of rights angle. In my opinion it's the decision to alter a child's body without their consent that should be punished, which is the same decision taken whether it's MGM or FGM.

Reply 16

lillith

Original post by Radicalathiest

Really? This is disgusting, our government should be making a huge deal of catching these disgusting people. Poor French girls, my heart goes out to them.

Reply 17

CryptoidAlien

why are third world cultures so violent, inhumane and brutal? with little civilized attributes and lacking capacity on the basis of understanding, shame, honour and responsibility? this must be genetical.

Reply 18

MrKappa

Yes, it is about time we started convicting these people.

And yes, I believe that male genital mutilation (aka circumcision) should also be illegal.

Reply 19

redferry

Original post by Ronove

I just think type 3 fgm is not even in in the same ballpark as male circumcision (or even type 1 fgm). It is pretty much the most horrific thing you could do to a child and the equivalent in my eyes to cutting chunks out of/off and mutilating a guys penis and balls.

It causes so many health problems and often means the woman needs to have her scar tissue cut with a knife before sex. Its either that or it is bludgeoned open by a penis. And then the cut needs to heal open so she has to engage in regular sex through a gaping wound. I couldn't imagine anything worse personally.