Leftists look to make female genital mutilation a more serious crime

The Left Bloc (BE) has put forward a new law proposal in which it proposes increasing the punishment for the crime of female genital mutilation (FGM), which presently falls under the criminal category of serious bodily harm. The political party proposes prison sentences of between three and twelve years for anyone practicing what is widely seen as a barbaric cultural act, and sentences of between two and ten years for anyone inciting this “form of intolerable violence.”

The document drawn up by the BE party stresses that there are some 500,000 women living in Europe who have been the victims of genital mutilation, and a further 180,000 young girls who are at risk of it happening to them.

The party believes that, notwithstanding the importance of the Elimination of Portuguese Female Genital Mutilation Action Plan, the bid to make it a heightened crime reinforces “the combat and instruments against this form of intolerable violence”

In related news, Britain’s first female genital mutilation trial is due to reach court within weeks despite the practice of FGM in that country being banned 28 years ago.

The case involves an adult woman who has been mutilated more than once and experts have warned that teachers, doctors and social workers in the UK are not doing enough to end the barbaric practice.

Speaking to The Times, Detective Superintendent Jason Ashwood, head of a Scotland Yard team specialising in female genital mutilation cases, said: “I can hardly think of an example of a doctor calling up to say ‘I have someone with me in A&E, please can you call an officer’. That just does not happen.”

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