Excision (female genital mutilation) is a very ancient practice whose exact origins are still unknown. The aims of this essay are:
1) To explain the main reasons why some immigrants still perpetrate it on their daughters, also showing how this practice changes with the geographical area and with time; 2) To analyse the legal response to this practice in France, through a qualitative study of the judgements pronounced by the main criminal courts of the country: the Tribunal correctionnel and the Cour d’Assises.