A 40-year-old British woman was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday for placing a little girl in the hands of a woman who circumcised her during a trip to Kenya, an unprecedented conviction in the United Kingdom.
Amina Noor was found guilty last October by a popular jury of having contributed to a three-year-old girl undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) by taking her to Kenya in 2006 and accompanying her to a “ clinic” where the excision was performed.
She became the first person of British nationality convicted of helping to carry out female circumcision abroad, under a 2003 genital mutilation law which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Before Amina Noor, a Ugandan resident in East London was already sentenced to eleven years in prison in 2019 for having herself excised a three-year-old girl.
The victim confided in a teacher
Passing sentence on Friday at the Old Bailey Criminal Court, the judge described the crime as "truly horrific and heinous" and praised the victim's "bravery", hoping it would encourage others to speak out.
The victim, of British nationality, had confided in her English teacher when she was sixteen years old.
Also read “After an excision, rebuilding oneself is the work of a lifetime”: the writer Halimata Fofana breaks the taboo
To compile her case, knowing that she was very young at the time of the events, it was necessary to carry out investigations in Kenya, and find doctors specializing in these mutilations in the United Kingdom.
An examination carried out in 2019 established that the victim had indeed undergone clitoral removal.
BREAKING: A woman from Harrow has been jailed for seven years for helping a person to carry out female genital mutilation (FGM) on a three-year-old British girl during a trip to Kenya in 2006https://t.co/l4aVv47yvV
— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 16, 2024
Outside the court on Friday, London police official Andy Furphy said he hoped the sentence would have a "deterrent effect" on perpetrators of excision.
“Most importantly, I hope this will be an opportunity for us to continue to raise awareness on this topic, ensuring victims know there is support and help available,” he added. , ensuring that they would be treated “with respect for their confidentiality, with empathy and compassion” in the face of this “taboo”.
Fear of being “disowned” by one’s community
A British national since the age of 16, Amina Noor was born in Somalia then left to live in Kenya when she was eight years old because of the civil war.
During the investigation, she seemed “shocked” to learn that the girl had undergone excision during their trip to Kenya.
In her first statements, she said she went to this clinic with the child and remained at the door during a procedure that she thought was “just an injection”.
Amina Noor, who lives in the northwest of the British capital, ultimately testified during her trial that she had been threatened with being "cursed" and "disowned" by her community if she did not take part in the cutting of the little girl.
Also read “I still feel the blade in me”: in Seine-Saint-Denis, 7.2% of 18-45 year olds have been victims of excision
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a common practice in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, which involves partially or completely removing a young girl's clitoris and vaginal lips.
Ablation - often carried out in poor sanitary conditions - can lead to serious complications.