A 37-year-old woman has become the first ever person to be found guilty of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the U.K. The landmark verdict was given in the London after the mother of three was charged of performing FG, on her daughter in 2017.
Although she denied the charges, she was found guilty and will be charged on March 8.
Her partner, a 43-year-old Ghanaian, was acquitted of all charges and her daughter was placed with another family.
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The case was first reported to the police after doctors confirmed that her injuries were consistent with being cut by scalpel.
The parents had claimed that the victim got her injuries when she fell and cut herself on a kitchen cupboard as she was reaching for a biscuit tin.
The victim, however, told a foster carer that she had been held down and cut, as reported by the CNN.
Under the U.K. law, perpetrators of FGM face a prison term of not more than 14 years.
Many women rights groups have welcomed the conviction, stating the defendants should be brought to justice and that they will continue doing what they can to protect girls.
FGM is prevalent practice in many African countries but it has found its way to the African diaspora, demanding for a globalized approach to the harmful practice.
Organisations within and out of Africa such as The Girl Generation have been instrumental in addressing the impact of FGM including endangering the lives of more than 200m women in the world who have undergone the cut. This conviction will help pave way to help the 68 million girls who are at risk of FGM by 2030.
