Hundreds of girls at risk of genital mutilation says MP Souad Sbai

According to MP and president of Italy’s Association of Moroccan women, at least 600 children are at risk of infibulation, or an extreme form of female genital mutilation in Italy. “Every year in Italy there are 600 children, daughters of immigrants, that are at risk of infibulation and it all happens in total silence,” said Sbai, presenting a report by her organization, Acmid-Donna. “Here at Acmid-Donna have decided to sound the alarm about infibulation because unfortunately we have noticed that the practice has anything but ceased or been relegated to marginal communities of immigrants in Italy,” Sbai added.

She also spoke about the number of children infibulated after approval of the Consolo law, enacted in 2006 to prohibit and prevent female genital mutilation. Sbai said that the law was not strong enough to stop the practice, and that in addition to laws, strong action must be taken to oppose such practices that have nothing to do with religion, and more to do with tradition practices. However, she added that some imams in Italy have influenced the immigrant community concerning the practice.

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