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James Debono
The government is considering a suggestion made by Labour MP Marie Louise Coliero Preca to outlaw female genital mutilation, despite the lack of any evidence that it is practiced in Malta.
Genital mutilation which involves cutting the woman’s sexual organs and can even lead to death, is performed on young women in various sub-Saharan African countries.
Home Affairs and Justice Minister Tonio Borg, who acknowledged that genital mutilation is already illegal in Malta as an offence against the human person, said that the government is considering a law to specifically ban this practice.
Various European countries like France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have outlawed this practice.
A large percentage of migrants living from Malta hail from countries like war-torn Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan where female circumcision is widely practised.
But the number of young women hailing from these countries is minimal. Currently 293 women from the Horn of Africa live in Malta. But only 13 of them are minors. Five of these girls live in detention while another eight live in open centres.
No reports on female mutilation were ever made to the police, Borg told parliament.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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