Listen here to Felicity on the Andrew Peach show (speaking from 11am)
Felicity said that the failure to address FGM to date is a scandal and that she is pleased that the legal submissions made by the Bar Human Rights Committee were accepted. She hopes that by the Bar Conference Panel discussion in November 2014 there will have been some significant progress. Felicity will be on the panel which will sit on the 8th of November 2014.
The Home Affairs Committee report is here
Details of the Bar Conference are here
The Bar Human Rights Committee website is here
In addition to a high profile career at the Bar, Felicity Gerry QC is an expert in the field of sexual offences and co- author of The Sexual Offences Handbook. She also holds a research post at Charles Darwin University in Australia where she specializes in international legal obligations in relation to female genital mutilation (FGM). In 2012 she wrote the ground breaking article in The Guardian “Female Genital Mutilation: Time for a prosecution” following a successful presentation to CPS lawyers and other professionals on how the law in relation to FGM could be enforced. Since then she has appeared in the BAFTA nominated FGM documentary “The Cruel Cut” on channel 4, published a joint article in The Guardian on how to improve FGM law and a peer reviewed article in Griffith Law Journal.
“Let’s talk about Vaginas: Female Genital Mutilation, the failure of international obligations and how to end an abusive tradition”. Felicity was a member of the working party for the UK Bar Human Rights Committee which prepared & submitted the influential report on FGM to the Home Affairs Committee in 2014. She has given guidance on statutory interpretation in relation to an FGM case abroad and is regularly approached to speak on FGM and other honour violence/ abuse issues including appearing on a panel after the launch of the Integrate Bristol FGM play “My Normal Life” in 2013 and next week in East Timor on lawyers duties to trafficked victims. Felicity appears regularly on radio and television and writes for the broadsheet and legal press. She was described as a “fearless & effective advocate” in Legal 500 for 2013 and is listed in Chambers and Partners 2014.
