Khalid Adem, 41, a native and citizen of Ethiopia, was deported from Atlanta on March 13 after serving 10 years in prison.
Adem was convicted of aggravated battery and cruelty to children in the first degree in Gwinnett Country, Georgia, on Nov. 1, 2006.
Using scissors, Adem mutilated the genitals of his 2-year-old daughter, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“A young girl’s life has been forever scarred by this horrible crime,” said Sean W. Gallagher, field office director for the Atlanta ERO Field Office. “The elimination of female genital mutilation/cutting has broad implications for the health and human rights of women and girls, as well as societies at large.”
Adem’s case is believed to be the first criminal conviction in the United States for female genital mutilation, which was declared a federal criminal offense by the U.S. Congress in 1996 when performed on a minor.
President Donald Trump states in his Jan. 27 executive order that “the United States should not admit those who engage in acts of bigotry or hatred (including ”honor“ killings, other forms of violence against women, or the persecution of those who practice religions different from their own) or those who would oppress Americans of any race, gender, or sexual orientation.”
More than 200 million women and girls alive today have already been subjected to some form of female genital mutilation, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The practice has no health benefits and often causes severe bleeding, problems urinating, cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths, the WHO says.
Female genital mutilation is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15.
