The Guardian reported yesterday that the House of Lords in England recommended a grant of asylum to a woman from Sierra Leone on the basis of her fear of female circumcision. The UK’s Home Office has developed asylum policy instructions for gender issues but, as the article notes, some NGOs suggest that gender-based persecution is still not readily recognized as a valid claim for asylum.
Gender guidelines from other government agencies are listed here.
The World Health Organization published a study in the June 2006 issue of the Lancet that determined "women who have had Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) are significantly more likely to experience difficulties during childbirth and that their babies are more likely to die as a result of the practice." A summary of the study is provided in this press release and the text of the study is made available here.
Posted in Publications.
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