Man gets 10 year sentence for circumcision of 2 year old daughter

[- Femme -]

Updated 11/1/2006 4:58 PM ET

 

They charged and sentenced him a month and half ago!

 

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — An Ethiopian immigrant who was convicted Wednesday of the genital mutilation of his 2-year-old daughter was sentenced to 10 years in prison in what was believed to be the first such criminal case in the United States.

 

Khalid Adem, 30, was found guilty of aggravated battery and cruelty to children. Prosecutors said he used scissors to remove his daughter's clitoris in his family's Atlanta-area apartment in 2001. The child's mother, Fortunate Adem, said she did not discover it until more than a year later.

 

Adem, who had no criminal record, could have been sentenced to up to 40 years in prison. He held his face in his hands and wept loudly after the jury's verdict was read.

 

During her father's trial, the girl, now 7, clutched a teddy bear as she testified on videotape that her father "cut me on my private part."

 

Federal law specifically bans the practice of genital mutilation, but many states do not have a law addressing it. Georgia lawmakers, with the support of the girl's mother, passed an anti-mutilation law last year. But Adem was not tried under that law since it did not exist when his daughter was cut.

 

During the trial, Adem testified he never circumcised his daughter or asked anyone else to do so. He said he grew up in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and considers the practice more prevalent in rural areas.

 

Adem's attorney acknowledged that the girl had been cut, but implied that the family of the girl's mother, who immigrated from South Africa, may have been responsible. The Adems divorced three years ago, and attorney Mark Hill suggested that the couple's daughter was coached to testify against her father by her mother, who has full custody of the child.

 

Adem, who cried throughout the trial and during his testimony, was asked what he thought of someone who believes in the practice. He replied: "The word I can say is 'mind in the gutter.' He is a moron."

 

The practice crosses ethnic and cultural lines and is not tied to a particular religion. Activists say it is intended to deny women sexual pleasure. In its most extreme form, the clitoris and parts of the labia are removed and the labia that remain are stitched together.

 

Knives, razors or even sharp stones are usually used, according to a 2001 department report. The tools are frequently not sterilized, and often, many girls are circumcised at the same ceremony, leading to infection.

 

It is unknown how many girls have died from the procedure, either during the cutting or from infections, or years later in childbirth. Nightmares, depression, shock and feelings of betrayal are common psychological side effects, according to a 2001 federal report.

 

Since 2001, the State Department estimates that up to 130 million women worldwide have undergone circumcision.

 

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

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I must admit that when I first read the title by itself, I was a little happy that there would be consequences for this horrific act....but as I read further and saw that there was no evidence that HE did it and that there was some suspicion of the mother's family doing it....a bad feeling settled in my stomach. It would be horrible if this man was put to jail for another's crime.

 

1. Children are notorious for saying stuff that they think is expected of them. They shouldn't rely on the testimony of a little girl who was circumsized at 2. How the hell could she remember? There is evidence that children do not have autobiographical memory until after three.

 

2. I have a hard time believing that the mother did not know about it until a year later. This is a 2 year old girl. At this point of her life, her mom should be very well familiar with her girl's WHOLE body.

[Qandalawi]

^^Erm thats right, he deserves the punishment but 10yrs is way too long...

 

The guy had no criminal recods or otherwise 40 yrs , hehe now the Americans are cracking me with great jokes... LOL the guy never killed.. but it's the well known justice of America

[Pujah]

Even if he didn’t commit the crime, he should have been more involved in his child’s life to prevent it …. I have no mercy for parents who mutilate their children.

 

I also have very hard time believing the mother was unaware. I think they committed the crime together and when they got divorced she pinned on him.

[Taliban]

Originally posted by Puja:

I have no mercy for parents who mutilate their children.

If you were a judge, how would you sentence such parents?

[Aaliyyah]

Taliban God is merciful, If I was the judge I would certainly invest in a course or someway where we get to educate new immigrants, and show them the negetive aspect of engaging in such action. Instead of sentencing them for 10 years? Come one what did the brother do to be sentenced?... There was actually a recent story of two white guys racing cars, and they got this immigrant indian taxi driver killed, and I dont believe they have been charged…they probably came from sum rich white family, who probably hired the best lawyer or what not . Anyways, my point is he didnt do things outa of cruelty , it is simple culture..and some one just needs to educated this brother …Lord what do gaalos know about Justice???

 

Wa salaam

[Som@li]

This is another act of injustice against men, most probably the parents had a fight and now she is using this against him.

 

Both of them should be punished for this crime.

[STOIC]

I heard and this is waxalayiirii hotwire newsfeed around Atlanta Somali restaurants-which bears a big picture of the guy's conviction -that it is daughters grandma back home that did the FGM.If he did it then I think the dude deserves the sentence, but if some else did it then the sentence is unfair.

[Baluug]

Something doesn't sound right here.....Another case of adults playing games, and guess who always turns out to be the loser in these type of games? The children.

[Fanisha]

Life in prison for the dad would have been the best justice for the two year old. She is only two? how sad. shidh!