Excerpt:
Members of Bristol’s Somali community have said the anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) campaign “is based on assumptions, misinformation and intimidation” which “targets and profiles certain ethnic groups” in Bristol.
The statements were made at a meeting of the Somali Parents Against Stigmatisation (SPAS) group, formed after the collapse of a recent anti-FGM trial at Bristol Crown Court.
The meeting aimed provide a platform for parents to share and discuss their experience of the anti-FGM campaign in Bristol and the impact it has had on the lives of their families.
Bristol Somali Media Group reported that a Somali mother, who has lived in the UK for 23 years, talked at the meeting about what happened when she told her child’s school she was taking her kids on holiday.