0000000000008190
AUTHOR
Sara Johnsdotter
‘Female genital mutilation’ in Europe: Public discourse versus empirical evidence
Media often report about circumcision of girls, or ‘female genital mutilation’ (FGM), in ways that present this practice as a burning social problem, albeit secretively performed among African immi ...
Court Cases, Cultural Expertise and ´Female Genital Mutilation' in Europe
This chapter discusses adjudication, expertise, and cultural difference as it appears in criminal court cases concerning female genital cutting (FGM) in the EU, as reported in a 2015 comparative overview. It begins with the distinction between typical and atypical FGM cases; a distinction that connects court cases to the cultural realities of the practicing communities, suggesting that the lack of cultural knowledge can cause unnecessary suffering to families and/or individuals who wrongly undergo prosecution in alleged FGM cases. A contrario, the intervention of experts in FGM court cases could be a positive approach to assessing the legitimacy of public intervention in certain cases.