Mom accused of circumcising infant girl

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A 35-year-old mother was arrested for allegedly circumcising her 10-month-old daughter, police said.

The LaGrange woman is currently being held in the Troup County jail without bond, Sgt. Chad Mann told the AJC. She faces female genital mutilation and child cruelty charges, Mann said.

"A relative changing the baby noticed that she appeared to be circumcised," Mann said.

The AJC is not publishing the mother's name to avoid identifying the infant.

The baby was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where a doctor determined she had undergone some form of surgical removal of the clitoris, Mann said. The baby's father was previously granted temporary custody, and he alerted authorities about the child's injury, police said.

"She's in perfect health, other than that," Mann said.

The baby is in her father's custody, police said. Authorities are not releasing details about a possible motive for the mutilation.

“Some of the areas of the investigation are sensitive," Mann said.

The baby's mother was arrested Wednesday afternoon. Her first court appearance is scheduled for Friday morning.

DFACS officials told Columbus, Ga., news channel WTVM9 that the woman also has three other children, but declined to say to release the location of them.

An estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide have been victims of female genital mutilation, according to the World Health Organization. Most of the procedures have occurred in Africa, according to the WHO.

The procedure has no health benefits, and can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, the WHO states on its Web site.