A Kenyan who has been living in Greece recently moved to court in an attempt to get asylum.
The Kenyan lady who is a Kikuyu had stated that her life and that of her three children was at risk if she returned to Kenya. She told the court that she stood the risk of being forcefully being circumcised and her children would end up being tortured.
On Sunday, the court made the ruling that the family could continue living in Greece on those grounds. This is the first ruling of its kind in Greece. Although the Geneva convention recognised FGM as a reason for seeking asylum in 2002, it is the first time anyone has been allowed to stay in Greece on those grounds.
The woman moved to Greece in 2002 with her three children who were aged 13, 5 and 3 at the time of their arrival. She applied for asylum on the grounds that being a Kikuyu she would be forced to undergo circumcision in Kenya, in which case if she refused, the Mungiki would circumcise her by force. In 2004, the migration officials rejected the application and issued the family with a deportation order. She moved to court then end it was only on Sunday that she eventually got the final decision.