Denmark: Couple arrested on female circumcision charges

Copenhagen police arrested a couple for circumcising their daughters in Sudan.

The girls are now 9 and 11 years old, but according the police, the mutilations may have been done back in the summer of 2003. In that period the parents brought their two children back to their homeland, and are suspected of getting a third person to do the circumcision.

The father (49) and the mother (40) are suspected in addition of wanting to do the same to a third daughter, who today is 5 years old.

The police started the investigation after they got a report from the social services. They feared that the family wanted to have the five year old circumcised during a planned trip to Sudan in July.

After having investigated the report, the police arrested the parents yesterday and sent the children to a medical examination in order to confirm the circumcision. The children will then be interrogated.

Ove Dahl of the Copenhagen police says that the two suspects deny any guilt.

Denmark banned female circumcision in 2003, with a punishment of up to 6 years. This is the first time the law is being applied. Last week there was a similar case in Norway, where a Gambian couple were arrested for having circumcised five daughters.

Source: Politiken (Danish), h/t Hodja (Danish)

See also: Norway: First female circumcision case in court

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