fgm was made illegal in the uk in 1985.
fgm was made illegal in the uk in 1985.
when was fgm made illegal in the uk?
1985
fgm was made a criminal offence by the prohibition of female circumcision act 1985. this was superseded by the female genital mutilation act 2003, and (in scotland) by the prohibition of female genital mutilation (scotland) act 2005. taking a uk citizen or permanent resident abroad for the purpose of fgm is a criminal offence whether or not it is lawful in the country the girl is taken to. since april 2014, all nhs hospitals will be able to record if a patient has undergone fgm or if there is a family history of this, and by september 2014, all acute hospitals will have to report this data to the department of health, on a monthly basis. despite fgm being illegal since 1985 the authorities are yet to prosecute even one case successfully.
prevalence of female genital mutilation by country
in new zealand, fgm is regarded as a violation of human rights. the practice of fgm was therefore made illegal in 1996 under an amendment to the crimes act 1961. under section 204a of the crimes act 1961, it is illegal to perform any form of female genital mutilation. fgm is defined within the crimes act as the mutilation, infibulation or excision of part of or the whole of the labia minora, labia majora or the clitoris of any person. fgm is illegal even where the girl or woman has consented to the procedure. it is also illegal to cause a child to be sent outside of new zealand or to make arrangements for a child to be sent outside of new zealand where the intent is that fgm be carried out that would be illegal under s204a if performed in new zealand. the act also states that a person is liable for up to seven years imprisonment where that person aids, procures or incites fgm to be performed outside of new zealand where that person is a new zealand resident or citizen and doing so would be illegal if carried out in new zealand. the punishment is up to seven years imprisonment for fgm whether the person actually performs the procedure or assisted. there is no defence of consent, even where the defendant claims to have thought the victim consented, and no ‘victim’ will be charged as a party to the offence.
female genital mutilation in new zealand