Cairo: Following the death of a 13-year-old girl as a result of undergoing female genital mutilation the Public Prosecutor referred a physician to the criminal court in the Menufiya region.

The parents of the girl had secretly buried their daughter’s body to avoid prosecution after the girl had died in the aftermath of her mutilation. According to the Cairo-based newspaper “Al Shurouq”, the case was reported to the Ministry of Family and Population by another doctor. The Ministry then referred the case to the Public Prosecutor.

Female Genital Mutilation has been illegal in Egypt since 2008. The Egyptian “Child Law” imposes a jail sentence on those who perform the procedure, as well as on the victim’s parents, of up to two years. In case of death of the victim, the person who has performed the procedure may additionally be charged with manslaughter.

According to a 2005 government report, 90 % of the women in Egypt have been genitally mutilated as children, and authorities find it very difficult to eradicate the practice.

Source