International News- A Second FGM Prosecution in Sweden

October 3rd 2006

Yesterday, Monday October 2nd 2006 saw a second Female Genital Mutliation (FGM) prosecution in Sweden. A 42 year old Somali woman was convicted for taking her daughter from Sweden to Somalia in 2002 to undego FGM.

As well as serving 3 years in prison for violating the Swedish law, whereby it is an offence to take the victim to another country to undergo the procedure, the woman was also ordered to pay damages of 550,000 kroner (US$ 75,000) to her daughter.

The daughter, who is now 16, had undergone the procedure at the age of 11. It came to the attention of staff at the school she attends, where they were concerned about her well being.

In Sweden, the law against FGM was adopted in 1982, whereby it is illegal to carry out the procedure in Sweden. In 1999, the law was amended so that it was illegal to take the victim abroad to undergo the procedure.

Earlier this year, the first case to be tried in Sweden since the law came into place, was of a Somali man, who also went abroad with his daughter whose genitals were mutilated. In court, he was sentenced to 4 years in prison and also ordered to pay 346,000 kroner in damages to his daughter.

Source: M&C News