“Acts of female genital mutilation constitute acts of persecution on the grounds of membership in a particular social group and, if specifically attributable to the applicant, form the basis for the recognition of refugee status pursuant to and for the purposes of Articles 2 et seq. of Legislative Decree No. 251 of 19 November 2007. […] The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), already in May 2009, highlighted the seriousness and danger of female genital mutilation, often carried out on newborns or girls under the age of 15, with extremely negative long-term physical and mental consequences, considering it as “a form of gender-based violence that inflicts serious harm, both physical and mental, and constitutes a well-founded ground for persecution. Indeed, all forms of FGM violate a series of human rights of girls and women, including the right to non-discrimination, protection from physical and mental violence, the highest possible health standards, and, in the most extreme cases, the right to life. It is a form of inhuman and degrading treatment, equated to torture.”
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