Genital Mutilation in Norway

(Oslo, Norway) The parents of five daughters face prosecution in Norway under a new law which makes genital mutilation illegal.

The couple is originally from Gambia but both partners are now Norwegian citizens. They have a total of six daughters, and five of the six have been subjected to genital mutilation, according to Hanne Kristin Rohde of the Oslo Police District.

The father is in custody while the mother, sick and pregnant, is allowed to stay home.

The six daughters range in age from three to 14 years. The four eldest live in Gambia with one of their father's other wives, according to police. Efforts were being made to bring the girls, who all have Norwegian passports, back to Norway, where they once went to school.

So far, only the youngest girl, a three-year-old, has escaped genital mutilation.

It's not clear how this case will play out. Scandinavian courts have been quite liberal in judgments addressing cultural diversity and tolerance. Frankly, I don't know how any civilized society could even stomach the idea of genital mutilation. I can't.