Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and am delighted that she is responding to this issue. I raised it with her at the UNFPA launch last Friday. In light of recent media reports that an act of female genital mutilation, FGM, was reported to the HSE and the Garda in September, will the Minister of State say how many cases of FGM have been reported to the Garda since the enactment of the Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012? What supports are provided to agencies such as AkiDwA that are working to prevent the incidence of FGM in the community and will the Government sign up to the second national action plan on FGM?

I will give a brief background. As the Minister of State is aware, FGM is the horrific practice of the cutting or removing of female genitalia, usually carried out on very young girls aged between four and ten years. It leads to appalling health consequences for those girls, and in some cases death. It is widespread in some countries and communities worldwide. It is estimated that 200 million women and girls across 30 countries have been subjected to this appalling mutilation. Girls in communities from those countries living in other countries are also at risk. The school holidays are a time when girls are at particular risk. It is sometimes known as the cutting season, when girls are taken abroad from developed countries to their countries of origin, including Somalia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Kenya and Egypt.

In Ireland, this matter was brought to my attention by AkiDwA, an NGO of women working with women from other communities, particularly African communities, in Ireland. It estimates that between 3,000 and 5,000 girls and women in Ireland have been subjected to FGM and that more are at risk. In April 2010, and at its insistence, I introduced the Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Bill, which was subsequently accepted by the Government and became law in September 2012. It carries significant criminal penalties not only for the act of FGM in Ireland, but for taking girls abroad for FGM. We were always conscious of the importance of the Act being used as an advocacy tool, one that would enable and support organisations like AkiDwA to work with communities to raise awareness about the horrific nature of the practice and to prevent its incidence. AkiDwA and ActionAid are working on an interesting project in Cork to raise awareness among particular communities.

We were all concerned to hear in September of an awful case that was reported in the media apparently involving a baby girl of only 21 months on whom FGM had been carried out in Dublin. A man has been arrested and I understand from information in the public domain that the file is with the DPP. I also understand that the HSE is involved.

In light of this awful revelation, AkiDwA and ActionAid have asked me to ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality how many cases have been reported to the Garda and what supports will be provided to organisations like AkiDwA, which is working hard to ensure that this does not happen. AkiDwA is concerned that there is little awareness among particular communities of the existence of the offence, the nature of the legislation and the powers of the Garda and HSE under same. It is positive that a case was reported to the Garda, but it is awful and distressing to learn that this practice is still being carried out in 2016 on girls living in Ireland. It is appalling for babies. As a mother, and just as anyone else would, I find it an horrific matter of deep concern. What can we do about this in practical terms?