Parliament votes to clarify Finland’s FGM laws Female genital mutilation is already prohibited in Finland, but a citizens’ initiative had called for a separate law.

November 6, 2020   

(Yle) Finland’s Parliament has voted by a margin of 141 to 10 to make a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) more explicit in Finnish law.

There were no abstentions from the vote but 48 MPs were absent.

The vote calls on the government to take immediate steps towards explicitly outlining the punishments for the genital mutilation of girls and women under Finnish criminal law.

Subsequent bills will be considered by Parliament during this parliamentary term.

FGM is already a crime in Finland, as the act of genital mutilation is considered to be aggravated assault.

Read more.

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