Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I pay tribute to my colleagues, Senators Bacik and Prendergast, for introducing this Bill. As other Members have said, FGM is an appalling abuse of the human body. Up to 130 million women across the world have already being mutilated by the practice. In a recent research paper on obstetrics and gynaecology, the researchers stated instruments used to perform FGM included unsterilised knives, razors, scalpels and pieces of broken glass. The same study reported that the WHO documented numerous cases in countries such as Ethiopia where it was performed on babies as young as seven or eight days old, while in Somalia, Sudan and Egypt it was performed on girls between five and ten years old. It is performed in approximately 30 countries worldwide but 90% of the procedures are performed in African countries such as Mali, Sudan, Egypt, Somalia and Eritrea. The procedure of female genital mutilation is not affiliated to any one particular religion. It is carried out by atheists, Christians and Muslims.

The World Health Organisation department of reproductive health and research states that the physical consequences of female genital mutilation include pain, ulceration, and death due to excess bleeding and toxic shock. Longer-term complications can include urinary problems, chronic infections and chronic pain. The WHO has also pointed out the profound psychological consequences often experienced by mutilated girls, including fear of sexual intercourse, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.

A 2005 article in The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care documents an interesting set of findings from the researchers with migrant women of North African origin. They undertook a study of 220 people, almost half of whom had no school education. That is interesting because UNICEF has carried out research that proves a direct correlation between educational attainment and tolerance of female genital mutilation. It is that tolerance and acceptance of the practice that leads to the continuity of the practice through to the next generation. When the researchers asked the women the reason mutilation is performed, 58% of them said it was a religious requirement, 27% said it was a cultural tradition and 21% felt that it increased the chances of marriage. Other studies, numerous non-governmental organisations and global health bodies have also found that the belief system associated with the practice of female genital mutilation has strong social and cultural roots. Breaking the link between the practice of female genital mutilation and cultural and social survival has proven to be very difficult. In 2006, the European Commission noted that the decline of female genital mutilation had been limited despite nearly 27 years of effort.

I commend the efforts of the Irish Aid programme to reduce the practice. I visited some organisations in Tanzania with Senator Ormonde, Deputy Higgins and Deputy Deasy and we saw at first hand how the Irish Aid programme is helping to train ex-practitioners as teachers who will visit schools and try to convince people not to allow this operation to be performed on their children or in their locality. When we met Prime Minister Pinda in Tanzania after that visit we impressed upon him the need for politicians throughout his country to ensure they made their voices heard on how they felt about the practice, and that change could not just come from the bottom up. It had to come from the top down and it had to be stated by community and political leaders that the practice was no longer to be tolerated and had to stop. We believe it is an unacceptable practice. It is abhorrent and should have no legitimacy in the medical, social or political sphere.

In that context, I welcome the simplicity and the lack of ambiguity in Senator Bacik's Bill. It makes it clear that parental or individual consent to such a procedure will provide no legal protection in the Irish courts. I understand that the Swedish law banning female genital mutilation is currently being challenged by a resident of that country who travelled with his daughter to Somalia to allow her undergo female genital mutilation. It is vital our legislation makes it clear from the outset that such endeavours are subject to Irish laws and will be treated on that basis, whether they happen here or abroad.

I wholeheartedly support the Bill introduced by my colleague, Senator Bacik. I was glad to hear the Minister's proposed amendment to the amendment. We can all leave the House safe in the knowledge that a job has been well done. We will support the amendment.