Sweden to battle female genital mutilation with online course

[Cerridwen]

6. "We're working to inform parents that they could face prison..."

[div class = "excerpt"]"We're working to inform parents that they could face prison if they come back and their children have undergone female genital mutilation," said Petra Blom Andersson, student health coordinator in Norrköping, to the newspaper.

From a previous article reporting the initial discovery.

See: Female genital mutilation exposed in Swedish class

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[div class="excerpt" When school breaks up for the summer holidays the risk of being exposed to the surgery increases for many Swedish girls due to the prospect of visits to their parents' home countries.

"We're working to inform parents that they could face prison if they come back and their children have undergone female genital mutilation," said Petra Blom Andersson, student health coordinator in Norrköping, to the newspaper.

Most girls who undergo the procedure are between the ages of 4-14 years, but the operation is also carried out on infants. Teenagers typically suffer a wide range of complications including period pains and headaches and for some it can be very painful to urinate.

There are no established figures detailing the extent of the female genital mutilation in Sweden, or of how many girls are brought to their parents' countries of origin to get it done.

See also: Online course to stop female genital mutilation

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But it is also key to prevent girls from being exposed in the first place.

"When dealing with small children it is necessary to create a dialogue with the family, to inform them that cutting is illegal and that medical complications may arise," Ahrne said.

Ahrne added that the majority of the victims had the procedure done before coming to Sweden, but it does occur that girls are cut while visiting their parents' home countries.

"We do not have any indication that cutting is performed in Sweden, but it is still possible." (more at above link)