Experts say Female Genital Mutilation is Both Crime and Cultural Practice
Detroit doctor charged with mutilating genitals of 7-year-old girls. Experts call it rite of passage in some cultures.
A metro Detroit doctor has been ordered detained while she awaits a trial on charges of mutilating the genitals of two 7-year-old girls.
The Justice Department accuses Dr. Jumana Nagarwala of performing female genital mutilation, or FGM, which is recognized internationally as a violation of human rights and is considered a crime in the U.S.
But the director of the Americas office for the human rights group “Equality Now” says it is still a practice in some cultures.
Shelby Quast tells WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter that FGM can take many forms.
Click on the audio link above to hear the interview. Some of this conversation may not be suitable for younger listeners.
