Forced genital exam on girl 'was discrimination'
Norway’s child protection services broke the law when they ordered the genital examination of a Norwegian-Somali girl, the Norwegian Equality Tribunal has found.
After a four-year conflict between the girl’s family and the child protection services (Barnevernet), the equality tribunal concluded last week that Barnevernet was guilty of discrimination when it ordered doctors to check if the girl had been circumcised, newspaper Klassekampen reports.
Barneverket opened an investigation into the family after receiving a message of concern from a substitute teacher at the girl’s school. Refusing to believe the family’s claims that they were opposed to female genital mutilation, the child protection services ordered a medical examination.
According to the equality tribunal, Barneverket’s suspicions were based solely on the fact that the girl’s parents came from Somalia.
“This case means Barneverket will have to be more careful in future,” said Akhenaton Oddvar de Leon from the Institution against Public Discrimination.
The medical examination showed that the girl had not been circumcised.
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After a four-year conflict between the girl’s family and the child protection services (Barnevernet), the equality tribunal concluded last week that Barnevernet was guilty of discrimination when it ordered doctors to check if the girl had been circumcised, newspaper Klassekampen reports.
Barneverket opened an investigation into the family after receiving a message of concern from a substitute teacher at the girl’s school. Refusing to believe the family’s claims that they were opposed to female genital mutilation, the child protection services ordered a medical examination.
According to the equality tribunal, Barneverket’s suspicions were based solely on the fact that the girl’s parents came from Somalia.
“This case means Barneverket will have to be more careful in future,” said Akhenaton Oddvar de Leon from the Institution against Public Discrimination.
The medical examination showed that the girl had not been circumcised.
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