Excerpt:
On Tuesday (14.04.2014), a UK doctor is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court for allegedly carrying out the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at a London hospital. Dr. Dhanuson Dharmasena, accused of carrying out the FGM procedure, is being tried along with Hasan Mohamed, who allegedly encouraged the procedure.
The practice of FGM has been a criminal offence since 1985. But in the past, it has often been difficult for authorities to gather the proof needed to prosecute because of the sensitive nature of FGM. Now the UK's Crown Prosecution Service says there is sufficient evidence to bring this landmark case to court.
In a statement ahead of the trial, the Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said: "It was alleged that following a patient giving birth in November 2012, a doctor at the Whittington Hospital, in London, repaired FGM that had previously been performed on the patient, allegedly carrying out FGM himself."