The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Federal court confirms genital cutting ruling

Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne
The Swiss Federal Court is based in Lausanne © Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

The Swiss Federal Court has confirmed the sentence given by a regional court to a Somali woman from canton Neuchâtel found guilty of genital mutilation of her two daughters.

The Neuchâtel court had sentenced the woman to eight months’ prison, in the first Swiss case of its kind.

In a ruling made public on Friday, Switzerland’s highest court dismissed the woman’s claims that she did not know it was a criminal act.

The girls were six and a half and seven when the procedure was carried out between 2013 and 2015 in Somalia and Ethiopia.

The Federal Court said that the fact the act was carried out abroad and that the woman did not have any relation to Switzerland at that moment did not play a role under the law.

The Neuchâtel court judgement was based on a relatively new article in Swiss law which aims to prevent Swiss-based families from carrying out female genital mutilation on their daughters, whether in Switzerland or abroad.

+ Read more about the law change here

The mother now lives in Neuchâtel in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and was reported to the authorities by her estranged husband, who is also from Somalia. The woman, who is illiterate, was reported to have been under immense social pressure in her home country for the girls to undergo the procedure.

When handing down the original sentence, the Neuchâtel court said it was mainly of a symbolic nature. But given the gravity of the offence, a short prison sentence was still necessary.

Popular Stories

News

Safra Sarasin and a former asset manager sentenced

More

Swiss Politics

Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced

This content was published on The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has fined private bank J. Safra Sarasin CHF3.5 million for aggravated money laundering. A former bank employee received a six-month suspended prison sentence.

Read more: Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced
1MDB affair: JPMorgan to pay CHF 270 million

More

Swiss Politics

JPMorgan to pay CHF270 million to settle 1MDB claims

This content was published on JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay CHF270 million to the Malaysian government to settle all issues related to its role in the 1MDB financial scandal.

Read more: JPMorgan to pay CHF270 million to settle 1MDB claims
Philippe Lazzarini has overseen UNRWA since 2020.

More

Foreign Affairs

UNRWA boss Lazzarini to step down in March 2026

This content was published on Philippe Lazzarini will step down as head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) at the end of his term in March, he announced on Thursday.

Read more: UNRWA boss Lazzarini to step down in March 2026
Gösgen NPP outage darkens profit prospects for Axpo and Alpiq

More

Swiss Politics

Outage extended at Swiss nuclear plant

This content was published on The Gösgen nuclear power plant in northwestern Switzerland will be out of service for six months. It has not been connected to the grid since late May.

Read more: Outage extended at Swiss nuclear plant

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR