NWCI calls on Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern to intervene immediately in the case of Pamela Izevb

Published: Monday, January 26, 2009

The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) this evening, expressed disappointment at the ruling in the High Court today that now sees Pamela Izevbekhai and her daughters Jemima and Naomi facing deportation.

The NWCI is calling on Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern TD to use his discretion and grant Pamela, Jemima and Naomi the right to stay in Ireland and calls on him to do so as a matter of urgency.

' Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a violation of women's and girl's human rights. Any type of FGM is a harmful practice, a contravention of internationally recognised human rights and constitutes violence against women and girls' stated Joanne Vance, NWCI Women's Health Worker. Specifically, FGM violates the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the right to be free from all forms of gender discrimination, the right to life, the right to bodily integrity and children's rights to special protections'.

' Pamela, Jemima and Naoimi Izevbekhai's case highlights once again the need for the implementation of best practice guidelines in the Irish asylum process, which would allow for improved practices in dealing with women claiming gender related persecution,' continued Ms Vance. 'The NWCI also remains concerned that there are currently no publicly available gender guidelines in use by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner in relation to how to process claims from women applicants.

NWCI is a member of the National Steering Committee on Female Genital Mutilation. As part of a European wide initiative, the committee launched Ireland's National Plan of Action to Address FGM in November of last year.