Egypt's law harshens FGM penalty if perpetrator is doctor, nurse

CAIRO - 2 January 2024: Egypt's law criminalizing female genital mutilation includes strict penalties in case the illegal circumcision operation was performed by a doctor or a nurse.

 

Law No. 10 of 2021 amending some provisions of the Penal Code issued by Law No. 58 of 1937 said that:

 

The perpetrator of the crime, whether a doctor or a nurse, faces, in addition to the penalty, deprivation from practicing the profession for a period of not less than three years and not more than five years starting after the end of the sentence execution period, in addition to the closure of the private facility in which the circumcision was performed, and if it is licensed, the period of closure shall be equal to the period of prohibition from practicing the profession with the removal of its signs and banners, whether it is owned by the doctor who committed the crime, or its actual manager was aware of its commission, without prejudice to the rights of third parties in good faith, and the publication of the ruling in two widely circulated daily newspapers and on the websites designated by the ruling at the expense of the convict.

 

It is worth noting that the law stipulates that anyone who performs female circumcision by removing any part of a female's external genitalia, partially or completely, or inflicts injuries to those organs shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of not less than five years.

 

If this act results in a permanent disability, the penalty shall be rigorous imprisonment for a period of not less than seven years. If the act leads to death, the penalty shall be rigorous imprisonment for a period of not less than ten years. The penalty shall be rigorous imprisonment for a period of not less than five years if the person who performed the circumcision referred to in the previous paragraph is a doctor or a nurse. If his crime results in a permanent disability, the penalty shall be rigorous imprisonment for a period of not less than ten years. If the act leads to death, the penalty shall be rigorous imprisonment for a period of not less than fifteen years and not more than twenty years.