Two men have been bailed after being arrested in Birmingham over suspected female genital mutilation offences. The pair, aged 55 and 61, were detained by officers from West Midlands Police’s public protection unit, as Sunday Mercury reported. On Saturday, they were bailed pending further enquiries.
Last Friday, the police in Birmingham arrested the men in inquiry into claims that illegal practice is being offered in the UK. Officers went to properties in the Sparkhill and Kingstanding areas of the city at around 9am. A police spokesman said an investigation was launched after the publication of an article in the Sunday Times last month, according to which as many as 100,000 women in the UK may have undergone FGM with practitioners offering to carry out the procedure on girls as young as ten.
The barbaric practice is illegal in Britain and carries up to a 14-year prison sentence. “Female genital mutilation is a serious assault against young girls and while it is perceived by parents not to be an act of hate, it is harmful, it is child abuse and it is unlawful”, said Detective Inspector Caroline Marsh.
