| Abstrakt: |
In the United Kingdom, up to 20,000 young women and children who originate from the horn of Africa, Senegal and various parts of sub-Saharan Africa are potentially at risk of being subjected to this criminal and barbaric ritual. This is despite the efforts of FORWARD and Baroness Ruth Rendell, the writer and human right's campaigner. There have now been two Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom, the first act in 1995 (the Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act) and the latest being the Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2003. However we believe that women in this ethnic group, some as young as 4 years old, remain at risk. It is also difficult to find out if these procedures still take place in the UK. Most young girls are taken out of the country to have the ritual carried out. The new Act of 2003 was set up to protect them from leaving the country. The medical profession, social services, teachers and the child protection agencies need to work more closely to protect these individuals. Worldwide 2 million young women remain at risk of being subjected to this ritual every year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
