Published: 26 January 2012
by PAVAN AMARA

A WOMEN’S health organisation has set up a support group for victims of female genital mutilation.

Daughters of Eve, a charity based in Warren Street, have already seen nearly 50 women who had their external genitalia removed or mutilated in Camden during the 1980s and 90s.

The practice was made illegal in Britain in 1985 as it leaves women in severe pain, sometimes unable to work, and unable to have sex.

Nimko Ali, 29, who co-founded the charity while living in Royal College Street, Camden Town, said: “It was rife in Camden back then.

You could easily find a female circumciser.

Now it is rife to find women in their 20s who were cut as children or teenagers, who are walking around suffering here.

“They are very isolated, often unable to work because of the debilitating period pains they experience, and cannot have sex.”

Female genital mutilation is still legally practised in some African and Middle Eastern communities.

Ms Ali said: “There are many communities in Camden, and not so long ago, all you had to do was ask around and you could have your daughter cut.

“It very rarely happens in the UK now, but the effects are still with us.

It is possible that maybe some of the girls could sue schools or GPs in Camden who missed clear signs to what was going on.

“I have heard girls say it in anger. But I don’t know where anyone stands legally with that.”

Daughters of Eve have referred many of the women to the Whittington Hospital, which specialises in reversing the procedure.

Ms Ali says the charity is aware of girls of Camden who are still being taken out of the country to have the procedure carried out, though this was made illegal in 2003.

“We have a proportion of girls in Camden who are unable to work, unable to have relationships, and have a lot of issues to do with drink, drugs, or crime because they were so traumatised as girls,” she said.

“And it happened within the borough with no one stopping it, while they were in school here, registered with doctors here.

Now they question who was to blame, and why Camden’s social services were not involved or made aware.”

The charity emerged from a workshop held at Euston’s Friends Meeting House last year where Ms Ali heard stories of Camden women who were not aware they had been cut until they were adults, and realised they could not have sex.

Bolt Burdon Kemp, a solicitors firm based on Upper Street in Islington, said victims may be able to claim compensation.

Partner Jonathan Wheeler said: “If women went as children to the doctors and doctors did not give them the treatment they needed, then that is negligence, and a claim for compensation could be made through the civil courts.

“Against the assailants themselves, who are often family members, a compensation claim can be made.

But the claim must be made three years after the incident took place or three years after the claimants 18th birthday.”

• Visit www.dofeve.org