Anyone who practices female circumcision violates human rights (human rights apply to all people, no matter whether they come from Africa, Australia, Asia, America or Europe, whether they are men or women or still children, no matter what they believe in and whether they are rich or poor), especially the right to physical self-determination (the right to decide for yourself how you treat your body and how your body is treated) and to protection from violence against women and girls. The state is obliged to protect girls and women from female genital mutilation and to offer them support.
In Germany, any form of female genital circumcision is prohibited and is punished as serious bodily injury (Section 226a of the German Penal Code).
Not only are the people who perform circumcision punished, but so are the parents or relatives who have a girl circumcised. Girls living in Europe are sometimes circumcised during holidays in their parents’ country of origin or in one of the neighboring countries. A close family member (for example the grandmother or aunt) may want to have the girl circumcised. Also punished is anyone who has performed or allowed circumcision abroad. Anyone who violates the ban will be punished with imprisonment for up to 15 years, or may lose their residence status and be removed from the country. This applies to all types of female circumcision.
Parents are responsible for the protection of their daughters. If they do not assume this responsibility, appropriate authorities become involved and the parents can be deprived of custody, meaning state institutions take the daughter from the family temporarily or permanently.
The girls and women affected can claim damages from the person who performed the circumcision. This means that the person has to pay you something because he or she has caused you suffering with circumcision.
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