The United Nations said it was “deeply concerned” by Egypt’s court dismissal of the case of Soheir El-Batei, a 12 year-old girl who died during a Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) procedure in June 2013, according to a statement released on Thursday.
Doctor Raslan Fadl carried out the procedure on El-Batei and was taken to trial on charges of FGM under the law criminalising FGM that was issued in 2008.
On Thursday, the Misdemeanor Court in the district of Aga in the Daqahleya governorate dismissed the case. According to the UN statement, the dismissal followed “a settlement agreed between the victim’s family and the accused”.
“Traditions that demean, dehumanize and injure are human rights violations that must be actively opposed until they are ended,” the UN statement read.
At least 90% of Egyptian women between the ages of 15-49 have undergone FGM, according to the 2008 Demographic and Health Survey.
