Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

UK courts powerless to prevent deportation of girl, 10, at risk of FGM

UK courts powerless to prevent deportation of girl, 10, at risk of FGM

Fears child may return to Sudan via Bahrain after Home Office challenged efforts to stop deportation

A British court has said it has no power to stop the deportation of a 10-year-old girl at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) after authorities rejected her mother’s asylum application.

The girl’s mother, who travelled to Britain from Bahrain and would be sent back there if deported, had expressed fears authorities there could force her and her daughter to return to Sudan, where she is originally from.

Sudan has one of the highest rates of FGM in the world. Most girls there undergo the practice, which involves the partial or total removal of external genitalia, aged between five and nine.

A family court had ruled that the girl could be subjected to FGM if taken abroad after social services applied for a protection order to stop her being deported.

But Britain’s Home Office, which handles immigration issues, challenged the court’s power to prevent her deportation and on Wednesday the court accepted it did not have such powers.

The Home Office did not respond to a request for comment on the case by the time of publication.

The UK has invested heavily in efforts to combat FGM in countries where it is practised, notably in parts of Africa, and is viewed as an international leader in the field.

But Charlotte Proudman, the lawyer who represented the girl’s mother in court, said there was a contradiction between the government’s stated commitment to end FGM and its immigration policies.

“They are happy to prosecute FGM, they are happy to give money abroad to stamp it out, but they are failing to protect women who are at risk if deported,” Proudman told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

FGM is linked with severe long-term complications including cysts, infections and complications in childbirth. In the most severe cases, the vaginal opening is sewn up.

The girl’s mother said she had undergone FGM, as had her two sisters, who both died as a result, according to court papers.

One of the single biggest indicators that a girl is at risk is her mother having been cut, studies have shown.

About 87% of Sudan’s women aged between 15 and 49 have been cut, and the majority have undergone the severest form, infibulation, according to the World Health Organization.

Although FGM is a recognised ground for asylum in Britain, the Home Office – the government department responsible for immigration – has previously argued that the risk in similar cases was low.

Proudman said she would ask the government to accept expert assessments of the risks the girl faced if deported and grant her secure immigration status.

Anti-FGM campaigner Alimatu Dimonekene said authorities were failing to consider the rights of children when processing the asylum applications of their parents.

“This girl will be at risk not only of FGM if she returns to these countries, but will be at risk of other known extreme forms of violence,” added Dimonekene, who runs the charity A Girl At A Time.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×