Wednesday 2 July 2014

MPs attack failure to stop FGM as 'a scandal'

From the Standard

The failure to prevent female genital mutilation in Britain will be condemned by MPs tomorrow as a “national scandal” that has led to thousands of girls suffering barbaric child abuse.

In a hard-hitting report, the Commons home affairs committee will criticise ministers, police, doctors, teachers and other public officials for allowing cutting, and further forms of illegal mutilation, to be inflicted on young victims.

Sorry, but how the hell is this the job of teachers? What are they supposed to be doing? Checking the state of genitals in between geography and German? Are doctors supposed to be inspecting all the kids of Somali or Egyptian origin, or can we assume that they'll then be a racist outrage and every Kirsty, Bethan and Nisha will also be due an inspection? Oh no, because that would be madness, wouldn't it?

It's hard enough to deal with the normal sort of abuse where an adult abuses a child. In the case of FGM, it's not even seen as abuse by the families that carry it out. It's a cultural practice, seen as normal in some countries to the point where you're a minority if you haven't had it done.

It's a pity they couldn't include themselves, for failing to hold government to account over immigration from certain countries in large numbers, and calling anyone who questions it a racist.

4 comments:

Tim Almond said...

Hwfa,

I don't think they rank higher for victimhood, but there's a big difference between the two (not that I agree with male circumcision, either).

Lola said...

I hope that I am not bringing unwarranted levity to this, but the idea of both FGM and MGM brings tears to my eyes.

Bayard said...

"but there's a big difference between the two"

Agreed, but one can hardly count as abuse without the other also counting.

Having said that, it does look to me like yet another attempt to get the public to accept yet more state intrusion into their lives.

...then they came for the parents suspecting of practising FGM...

Tim Almond said...

B,

"Agreed, but one can hardly count as abuse without the other also counting. "

I'm not disagreeing. Carrying out an operation on a baby or infant for no medical purpose is abuse. I'm even uncomfortable about babies having their ears pierced.

I'm against both, but one completely removes sexual sensitivity (the other lessens it a little).