Excerpt:
Somali parents and guardians have spoken out about the need to eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM), but say the “aggressive and oppressive behaviour” of campaigners and professionals is treating every parent with a young child as a “criminal”.
At a recent meeting to discuss the issues, parents spoke of “intimidating” visits from police and social workers, with one mother saying she was forced to sign a form to say she would not harm her child ahead of a trip to East Africa.
The mother said: “No sooner had I informed the school that I am taking my child to East Africa for the summer holidays than I received a call from a social worker.
“After a long discussion over the phone, I allowed them to visit me at home and they made me sign a form to say I won’t ‘mutilate’ my child.