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| Father jailed for US mutilation | Father jailed for US mutilation |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A man has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for the genital mutilation of his two-year-old daughter, in what is said to be first such case in the US. | |
| Khalid Adem, an Ethiopian immigrant, was found guilty of aggravated battery and cruelty to children by the court in the state of Georgia. | Khalid Adem, an Ethiopian immigrant, was found guilty of aggravated battery and cruelty to children by the court in the state of Georgia. |
| Prosecutors said he used scissors to remove his daughter's clitoris in 2001. | Prosecutors said he used scissors to remove his daughter's clitoris in 2001. |
| A US women's rights group described the verdict as a victory against female genital mutilation worldwide. | A US women's rights group described the verdict as a victory against female genital mutilation worldwide. |
| Girl's testimony | Girl's testimony |
| Adem, 30, wept loudly as the jury's verdict was read in the town of Lawrenceville. | Adem, 30, wept loudly as the jury's verdict was read in the town of Lawrenceville. |
| This was a violation of her rights as a child, her rights as a woman, and most of all her rights as a human being, she will never be the same Fortunate AdemVictim's mother | This was a violation of her rights as a child, her rights as a woman, and most of all her rights as a human being, she will never be the same Fortunate AdemVictim's mother |
| During the trial, he denied the charges and said he found the practice to be reprehensible. | During the trial, he denied the charges and said he found the practice to be reprehensible. |
| The girl, who is now seven, had testified on videotape that her father "cut me on my private part". | The girl, who is now seven, had testified on videotape that her father "cut me on my private part". |
| The daughter's mother had said she did not discover that the child was mutilated until nearly two years later. | The daughter's mother had said she did not discover that the child was mutilated until nearly two years later. |
| "This was a violation of her rights as a child, her rights as a woman, and most of all her rights as a human being, she will never be the same," Fortunate Adem said in the courtroom, according to a tape recording broadcast by local radio station WSB. | "This was a violation of her rights as a child, her rights as a woman, and most of all her rights as a human being, she will never be the same," Fortunate Adem said in the courtroom, according to a tape recording broadcast by local radio station WSB. |
| Equality Now, a US women's rights group, said it was the first recorded case of female genital mutilation in the country. | Equality Now, a US women's rights group, said it was the first recorded case of female genital mutilation in the country. |
| A recent report by the World Health Organization condemned genital mutilation, saying it caused infection, appalling pain and serious long-term injury. | |
| The practice is part of tradition in a number of African countries. | The practice is part of tradition in a number of African countries. |
| Some communities there believe it helps to preserve a girl's honour. | Some communities there believe it helps to preserve a girl's honour. |