Protecting the health of women and girls

Overview

Bill 10: the Health Professions (Protecting Women and Girls) Amendment Act, 2022 would better protect the health and safety of women and girls by strengthening existing laws that ban female genital mutilation in Alberta.

If passed, health professionals who perform or facilitate female genital mutilation would be removed from practice if convicted. Those convicted of this crime in other jurisdictions would not be allowed to practice in Alberta.

Female genital mutilation or female circumcision involves the injury to or partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Classified as aggravated assault in the Criminal Code of Canada, it is a serious crime that can cause life-long health problems.

Statistics from the 30 countries where the practice is most concentrated estimates that more than 200 million women and girls alive today have been affected, and 3 million more girls are at risk of being mutilated each year. Better protections for women's health means more Albertans will live free from the fear of experiencing this trauma.

Key changes

If passed, Bill 10 will amend the Health Professions Act to:

• ensure health professionals who are convicted of performing, offering or facilitating female genital mutilation in Alberta will be removed from practice
• prohibit individuals convicted of this crime elsewhere from practicing in Alberta
• require health profession regulatory colleges to adopt standards of practice, including education, awareness, prevention and sensitivity training, to better support the physical and mental health of women and girls who may have undergone female genital mutilation

Next steps

If passed, Bill 10 will come info effect upon royal assent.

News

• Strengthening laws banning female genital mutilation (March 24, 2022)