In the light of immigrant mothers taking their Europe-born daughters on vacation to Africa to be circumcised, the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway are on a campaign to stop perpetrators of genital mutilation among immigrants at home and abroad.
To wage the war against FGM, Scandinavian countries institute punitive jail sentences, record damages, and impose stringent but controversial immigration laws. Female circumcision is considered illegal in Scandinavian countries, ‘even if it happens in another country and even if the practice is legal in that country.’ ‘Perpetrators — such as a girl’s parents — are being prosecuted upon return to Scandinavia and face up to 10 years in prison.’
Anti-female circumcision laws began to be implemented in Sweden in 1982, in Norway in 1986, and in Denmark in 2003.
