Shocking! FGM is widespread in U.K.

[MobBoss]

But is it legal to pierce a baby's ears?

Yes, and its a practice that I loath because its basically treating ones babie like it was a barbie doll. Dispicable.

Whilst there tends to be no age limit for piercings AFAIK, it still requires the child to give their consent

Children are not able to legally consent. Its pretty much the parents decision totally.

and I find it hard to believe it is legal to pierce a baby's ears (certainly I don't think it should be legal).

I agree with you, but it is. I see it all the time.

 

[Bill3000]

Yes, and its a practice that I loath because its basically treating ones babie like it was a barbie doll. Dispicable.

Wow. Are you serious? I never saw that.

 

[Enkidu Warrior]

Someone should put a STOP to those mad religions. They are vile and barbaric.

I'm repeating what others have said, but this isn't a religious thing. Christians, Muslims and Jews have practised this horror. It's cultural, based around a geographical region. It needs to be stopped, not with headline grabbing 'tough' policies, but by persuasion, education and effective enforcement.

I don't much like male circumcision or piercing of infants, but that's something quite different. This is clearly, extremely harmful. It causes extreme suffering and impares proper bodily function. It shouldn't be legal regardless of age in my opinion. The consent issue just makes it worse.

But like I said, forget punishment for the sake of it, I want to see it stopped. Punishment is too late. And anyone trying to score bogus bigotted political points on this should just grow up.

 

[MobBoss]

Wow. Are you serious? I never saw that.

I see it all the time standing in line at the grocery store or whatever. All the time.

 

[Pannonius]

I'm repeating what others have said, but this isn't a religious thing. Christians, Muslims and Jews have practised this horror. It's cultural, based around a geographical region. It needs to be stopped, not with headline grabbing 'tough' policies, but by persuasion, education and effective enforcement.

I don't much like male circumcision or piercing of infants, but that's something quite different. This is clearly, extremely harmful. It causes extreme suffering and impares proper bodily function. It shouldn't be legal regardless of age in my opinion. The consent issue just makes it worse.

But like I said, forget punishment for the sake of it, I want to see it stopped. Punishment is too late. And anyone trying to score bogus bigotted political points on this should just grow up.

Punishment can be a form of prevention.

 

[Enkidu Warrior]

Punishment can be a form of prevention.

No, punishment can be a form of deterrence, though the effect is usually hugely exaggerrated, but once we're talking about punishment it's too late to prevent the crime, which is much more important as far I'm concerned.

The point I'm trying to make is that a knee jerk reaction that makes us all feel very tough and very good about ourselves is not actually going to prevent this crime from happening. Education, outreach and persuasion won't produce glowing headlines in the Daily Mail and it won't satisfy frothing reactionaries such as yourself, but it will produce better results for the children than throwing people in jail.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

If they want to bring their mediaeval traditions with them, let's punish them according our mediaeval traditions too:

crucify them, burn them alive etc. Still, it would be a mild punishment for their offence.

Do as they do?

I'd rather the people responsible are tried for the crimes in court and locked up instead of stooping down to their level as revenge.

Seriously, anybody who commits this crime should be harshly punished together with those who knew about it but didn't inform the police.

That's damn straight!