This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/girl-told-to-imagine-she-was-a-princess-in-a-garden-during-female-genital-mutilation-10504957.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Girl told to 'imagine she was a princess in a garden during female genital mutilation' | Girl told to 'imagine she was a princess in a garden during female genital mutilation' |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| A young girl has told how she was told to close her eyes and imagine she was “a princess in a garden” as she underwent female genital mutilation. | A young girl has told how she was told to close her eyes and imagine she was “a princess in a garden” as she underwent female genital mutilation. |
| The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly underwent the procedure when she was seven years old in 2009. | The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly underwent the procedure when she was seven years old in 2009. |
| “It hurt... it's a part of our culture and it has happened to every girl,” she said in a recorded interview played to the New South Wales Supreme Court on Tuesday. | |
| Her sister was the same age when she was allegedly subjected to the operation at a house in Sydney three years later, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. | Her sister was the same age when she was allegedly subjected to the operation at a house in Sydney three years later, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. |
| Their family are members of the Dawoodi Bohra community – a sect within Shia Islam that traditionally considers female genital mutilation (FGM), known as “khatna”, a religious obligation. The operations were allegedly carried out in houses in Sydney | Their family are members of the Dawoodi Bohra community – a sect within Shia Islam that traditionally considers female genital mutilation (FGM), known as “khatna”, a religious obligation. The operations were allegedly carried out in houses in Sydney |
| The siblings’ mother is charged with organising the mutilation of her children’s clitorises between 2009 and 2012, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, while a retired midwife is accused of performing the operation. | The siblings’ mother is charged with organising the mutilation of her children’s clitorises between 2009 and 2012, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, while a retired midwife is accused of performing the operation. |
| Both women have pleaded not guilty to genital mutilation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. | Both women have pleaded not guilty to genital mutilation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. |
| Shabbir Mohammedbhai Vaziri, a high-ranking member of the Dawoodi Bohra community, has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory by allegedly telling police FGM was not practiced by followers in Australia. | Shabbir Mohammedbhai Vaziri, a high-ranking member of the Dawoodi Bohra community, has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory by allegedly telling police FGM was not practiced by followers in Australia. |
| The jury was told that the defendants accepted that women and female relatives offered prayers in two ceremonies as the girls lay on a bed, but that bodily harm was not inflicted. Dawoodi Bohra Muslims traditionally perform FGM on girls around the age of seven | The jury was told that the defendants accepted that women and female relatives offered prayers in two ceremonies as the girls lay on a bed, but that bodily harm was not inflicted. Dawoodi Bohra Muslims traditionally perform FGM on girls around the age of seven |
| Stuart Bouveng, a defence barrister for the 71-year-old former midwife, described it as a "symbolic ceremony". | |
| “[The woman] touched the genital area with a pair of forceps for a few seconds,” he told the court, adding that a paediatrician found no evidence of scarring or abnormality. | “[The woman] touched the genital area with a pair of forceps for a few seconds,” he told the court, adding that a paediatrician found no evidence of scarring or abnormality. |
| Performing or commissioning FGM is a criminal offence in New South Wales with penalties ranging from seven to 21 years imprisonment. | Performing or commissioning FGM is a criminal offence in New South Wales with penalties ranging from seven to 21 years imprisonment. |
| The case is believed to be the first time anyone prosecuted under the laws has faced trial in Australia. | The case is believed to be the first time anyone prosecuted under the laws has faced trial in Australia. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |