Daily Mail
November 15, 2013
Police officers in London have arrested two people over the genital mutilation of a baby girl, it has been reported.
The alleged criminals live in Britain and the baby is believed to have been mutilated at five to six weeks old – believed to be the youngest case reported.
Female genital mutilation involves the cutting or removal of female sexual tissue and has been illegal in the UK since 1985.
However, because a culture of secrecy surrounds the procedure, no one in the UK has ever been prosecuted for the crime, but officers hope this case could lead to the first.
Police have submitted a file to prosecutors but doubts remain because, although the little girl is now a British national, it is not known if she was at the time.
Despite the high number of cases – 80 so far this year – nobody has yet been prosecuted for the practice.
Last month the Crown Prosecution Service said it is studying five case files passed on by the Metropolitan Police.