Child abuse
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Óscar Bartual Bardisa
Alicante
Friday, 16 May 2025, 13:22
National Police officers in Spain have arrested the parents of a three-year-old girl in Elche in Alicante province for subjecting her to genital mutilation. During a routine paediatric check-up, health centre workers discovered that the girl had undergone a surgical intervention in the genital area. The injuries she has sustained are irreversible.
The case was brought to the attention of the examining magistrate's court and the office of the public prosecutor for minors after the healthcare professionals issued a report. The National Police arrested the parents and interviewed them. The father admitted that the intervention had been motivated by a "cultural belief", without providing more specific details. Both the mother and the father, 26 and 38, respectively, have been placed at the disposal of the Elche court.
It has been confirmed that the practice was carried out outside Spain. The girl had arrived in Spain in May 2024, being a legal resident with her parents.
The practice of genital mutilation is still perfomed in some African countries. The National Police force in Spain has reminded the public "any action that violates the physical or moral integrity of minors constitutes a serious infringement of Spanish law, regardless of the cultural or personal context of the perpetrators" and will be prosecuted.
Police authorities have stressed that respect for cultural and religious traditions "must always be subject to the fulfilment of human rights, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of 1948", adding that countries "have an obligation to act to ensure the well-being, safety and dignity of all children, without exception".
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