Egypt Demands Tough Punishment for Parents of Minor Girl Who Died Due to Female Genital Mutilation
Cairo:
A retired doctor and the parents of a 12-year-old girl who died after
female genital mutilation (FGM) surgery are to stand trial in Egypt,
with child rights campaigners calling for jail terms to deter others
from the illegal practice.
Egypt's Prosecutor General Hamada El-Sawy this weekend ordered the referral of the trio to the criminal court.
Doctor
Abdel Fadeel Rashwan and the parents of Nada Hassan Abdel-Maqsoud were
arrested last month after her death at a private clinic in Manfalout,
close to Assiut in southern Egypt, but then released on bail, causing
public outrage.
"It
is a serious step towards putting the defendants behind bars," said
Randa Fakhr El Deen, executive director of the NGOs' Union Against
Harmful Practices on Women and Children, hoping a tough punishment would
discourage other cases of FGM.
Genital
cutting of girls was banned in Egypt in 2008 but a 2016 survey by the
UN Children's Fund found 87% of women and girls aged 15-49 had undergone
the ritual, which typically involves the partial or total removal of
the external genitalia.
In
2016 the practice was made a felony, meaning doctors who perform the
procedure can be jailed for up to seven years and anyone requesting the
operation jailed for up to three years.
Activists, however, say the law has not been strictly enforced and the few found guilty tend to get light penalties.
World
leaders have pledged by 2030 to eradicate FGM which can cause
long-lasting mental and physical health problems, but campaigners say
the ancient ritual remains deeply entrenched in many places.
An
investigation after the arrests last month revealed that the child's
parents wanted their daughter cut and the doctor, aged about 70,
conducted the surgery on their request.
Prosecutors said the operation lasted about 30 minutes and left the girl unconscious. Efforts to revive her failed.
Most
genital cutting in Egypt is carried out by doctors and nurses at
private clinics, with the rest done at home, according to the Egypt
Demographic and Health Survey of 2014.
But
prosecutors said the hospital where the girl died had not had a license
since August 2016, was ill equipped, and its operations room did not
meet the terms for combating infection.
Egypt's
Prosecutor General Hamada El-Sawy called on parents not to expose their
daughters to dangerous processes linked to obsolete customs and
traditions.
"Be
aware that their purity and chastity will not exist but through their
good upbringing, embracing them and their enlightenment," he said in a
statementSource: https://in.news.yahoo.com/egypt-demands-tough-punishment-parents-094615386.html
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