Father Imprisoned for Genital Cutting Is Deported to Ethiopia
"The elimination of female genital mutilation/cutting has broad implications for the health and human rights of women and girls, as well as societies at large." The World Health Organization has estimated
that more than 200 million girls and women have been cut in 30 countries, mostly in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
By DANIEL VICTORMARCH 14, 2017
A man who in 2006 became the first person in the United States to be convicted of female genital cutting was deported
on Monday to his home country, Ethiopia, after serving 10 years in prison, federal authorities said.
The procedure, which involves the removal of parts of the genitalia, is typically performed on girls before they turn 15
and leads to a wide range of lifelong health consequences, including chronic infection, childbirth complications, psychological trauma and pain during urination, menstruation and intercourse.
The case led to a state law prohibiting the practice, which was already prohibited by a federal law
and is a common social ritual in parts of the world but is broadly condemned.
Though it is illegal under federal law, about half a million women have undergone the procedure or are likely
to be subjected to it, according to a 2012 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2013, lawmakers extended the federal ban to include "vacation cutting," in which
American-born girls are sent to other countries to have the cutting performed.
