A judge in Detroit has dismissed a Michigan case involving two doctors and six others brought up on federal charges of performing female genital cutting (FGC) on nine minor girls in the United States.
“It’s important to note that Judge Bernard Friedman’s decision to dismiss the Michigan female genital cutting (FGC) case does not condone the practice or justify the continuation of FGC within the Dawoodi Bohra or any community.
As Mariya Taher, Co-Founder of activist group Sahiyo, noted, the judge has condemned FGC as “despicable” but says it falls under state law jurisdiction (intrastate) versus federal (interstate). The ruling opens questions about jurisdiction, but does not question whether FGC is harmful or not.
Orchid Project’s grassroots partner, transnational organisation Sahiyo, has commented further in a blog on their website.