Cypriot Criminal Code, CAP 154 (last amendment (4) 2011), Provision 233A

*Article 233A states that any person who commits the offence of female genital mutilation, any accessory, advisor to the perpetrator and any person inducing another person to commit FGM, is guilty of this offence. The action of FGM is not an offence if committed by a medical practitioner for reasons necessary for the woman's health and or when this procedure takes place at labour or after the birth of a child. FGM can only be conducted to a woman after the expert opinion expressed by two doctors. The consent of the woman who suffers FGM is neither used as a defence to this crime, nor used as a mitigating factor to reduce the penalty. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for five years

Criminal Law

Applicability of the principle of extraterritoriality

The Courts of Cyprus could adjudicate and decide in cases concerning Cyprus citizens and non-citizens for FGM committed to Cypriots and non-Cypriot citizens.

Types of FGM addressed

*Cutting or clitoridectomy of part of whole of labia majora or labia minora of the vagina.

Number of court cases

Number of FGM cases registered with judicial authorities

Availability of information collecting system or reports

The statistic service or the police do not deal with FGM specifically. They have reported cases on general violence against women. The Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies is currently collecting information on FGM incidents, but there are no official statistics on this subject yet.