FGM Convictions Overturned!!!

8/14/2018

"A mother, a former registered nurse and Sydney Islamic sect leader convicted in Australia's first female genital mutilation court case — seen as a breakthrough in prosecuting the crime — have been acquitted by an appeal court." by Emily Lawrence. Read more here.

One of the greatest highlights of my life’s work is serving as an expert witness for Dawoodi Bohra families in the United State's first federal FGM case. I received the exciting message last week that one of the families has been reunited with their daughters and their parental rights will not be terminated as the CPS (Child Protective Services) had motioned the court several months ago.

Just a day later, I learned the best news yet, that the criminal FGM case in Australia - where the parents of a young girl (who had no visible alteration) and a community elder were convicted and imprisoned - was overturned on appeal!!!

While I am deeply troubled by those activists who demonize, persecute and support the separation of Bohra families for practicing Type I female circumcision (a harmless “nicking” of the clitoral foreskin on girls) while upholding as sacred the same community’s practice of male circumcision (the complete removal of the penis foreskin) of non-consenting boys, I am hopeful that ordinary men and women who make up these juries will continue to see through the sexist, racist and Islamophobic hypocrisy of most anti-FGM rhetoric.

Kudos to the courageous lawyers and other brilliant expert witnesses who literally put their reputations and careers on the line to do the right thing against all odds.

By Fuambai Sia Ahmadu, PhD
www.siamagazine.com
www.fuambaisiaahmadu.com
www.awafc.org

2 Comments

Tamba

8/18/2018 12:23:41 pm

Great move in the right direction for the Appeal Court to over turn the previous court's decision; an allow the young girl to reunite with her family. The act of prosecution for FGM is a deliberate attempt to undermine and dehuminise the cultural practice of Africans ans African women. It is more or less an attempt bias and the injection of hate among African women and African men. While turning a blind eye to male circumcision that takes off the foreskin of young boys' prick in the name of tradition and cultural practise yet the same for women where a very small amount of the skin is removed as become a world wide issue for the Western world.

But don't forget this same practice of removal of a portion of the skin from the private part of young girls and women is carried out in the West in the same measure, perhaps even more extreme as compared to Africa. The attempt to criminalise FGM for African women while the West keep theirs under wrap is hyprocrisy to the highest level.

As an African I see nothing wrong with FGM if done by choice and at the same time the medical needs for the process are put in place. To criminalise FGM is bias, racist and the dehumanisation of Africans and African culture. Let the West leave Africans to be what we want to be.

Criminalising FGM will be accepted and welcome by Africans if the West are prosecuted for the same offence.

Ben

8/19/2018 02:33:19 am

Maybe we should legalise all drugs too? After all throwing people in prison for putting something into their own body isn't really appropriate when people are legally allowed to mutilate and inflict pain on babies and little children, is it?

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FGM Convictions Overturned!!!

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