‘Tummy hurt’ hospital trip leads to FGM charges against doctor

An A & E doctor has been charged with carrying out performing female genital mutilation (FGM) on two seven-year-old girls in the first case of its kind in the US. Prosecutors say Dr Jumana Nagarwala, 44, was arrested days after the children identified her as the person who performed medical procedures on them at a clinic in Livonia, Michigan. They were taken to the clinic, from Minnesota, by their mothers because “their tummies hurt”. Dr Nagarwala is also accused of “transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity”, and making a false statement to a federal officer. The FBI`s investigation of the medic dates back to February and it believes she has also performed the illegal practice on other young girls in Michigan in the period 2005 to 2007. FGM of minors is illegal in the US unless there is a legitimate health reason. This is believed to be the first case brought under 18 U.S.C. 116, which criminalises the practice. Acting US Attorney Daniel Lemisch said in a statement: “Female genital mutilation constitutes a particularly brutal form of violence against women and girls. It is also a serious federal felony in the United States. “The practice has no place in modern society and those who perform FGM on minors will be held accountable under federal law.” Worldwide, an estimated 140 million women and girls have undergone the procedure, according to the World Health Organisation. More than three million girls in Africa undergo the procedure each year. FGM has been a criminal offence in the UK since 1985, but there has never been a successful prosecution.