Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on these amendments. I accept the Minister's statement that he taken the advice of the Attorney General, who indicates these amendments are unnecessary. Amendment No. 2 is regarded as too wide in its reference to residence within the State. It is very wide indeed and perhaps could be more tailored in regard to permits having been granted by the State.

I accept the broad thrust of what the Minister said. He has taken the Attorney General's advice on this matter, which is that the wording on criminal matters of this nature is standard and that there is, therefore, no loophole.

This Bill, which will soon be passed, is very important. The Minister and I recall the first occasion on which legislation on female genital mutilation was introduced in this House. It was introduced by former Deputy Liz McManus in 2000. It has taken from then until 2012 to have legislation on this matter placed on the Statute Book. It is very disappointing for this House that legislation on a matter whose importance was recognised in 2000 was not allowed to proceed until now. The legislation is so important because it deals with the very large number of people in new communities who are subject to what is now about to be declared a criminal offence. This House must look into its conscience every now and again to determine whether it is prioritising issues that need to be prioritised in areas of this nature. I would hate to believe they are not being regarded as urgent because they concern new communities, the diaspora from other countries, particularly those in Africa.

It has taken some time to get this legislation passed. I pay tribute to some of the very courageous people who have been to the fore in this regard. AkiDwA has been mentioned. Amnesty International has done tremendous work. Nobody has done more work than a young lady called Ifrah Ahmed, whom I believe is in the Visitors Gallery. She is a Somalian girl who was subjected to female genital mutilation. She probably would not have been able to keep working on the issue without the support of Dr. Shaheed, who offered an umbrella of protection from what would at times be considered a quite serious attack on the bona fides of those involved. Ms Ahmed established United Youth of Ireland. It includes young people from various African countries and has done considerable work on raising awareness regarding female genital mutilation and how it comprises an assault on women and undermines their rights. At last the issue, which affects so many living in Ireland who are from countries in Africa, has been brought to the fore. We are taking responsibility for having it criminalised.

As Minister of State with responsible for trade and development, particularly development, I believe this issue is extremely important because all the work of Irish Aid is underpinned by the principles of the UN charter on human rights. When we speak to people in our various programme countries about good governance, our first point is that human rights underpin our business in regard to partnerships with them. If we do not put our own house in order first, it will be very difficult for us to expect others to do so.

There are many millions of people in countries in Africa, particularly Somalia and Nigeria, that practice female genital mutilation on a widespread basis. In the past, we have not been in a position to say this is an abuse of human rights. Female genital mutilation has been defended on all sorts of grounds, including cultural and religious grounds. The practice is simply an assault on the integrity and humanity of young women. This is the point we must assert in our legislation. Having done so, we can make it part and parcel of our human rights agenda as we engage with other countries.

I am delighted the Minister for Health has brought this legislation to the Dáil and that it is about to be passed this evening. I thank the Acting Chairman, Deputy Wall, for indulging me and allowing me to wander slightly from the amendments.

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