'I know they will come for her': Australian toddler at risk of genital mutilationGovernment says it will help Australian girl at risk of mutilation in Africa
Australians are rallying behind a mother and her three-year-old daughter attempting to flee Africa in a desperate bid to stop the child being subjected to forced genital mutilation.
But advocates warn the pair still face grave danger even in hiding and are pressing the federal government to fast-track a visa for the mother so she can urgently travel with her child to Australia. 
It comes as the Australian Human Rights Commission says the government must do "all that it can" to protect children at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM), an ancient ritual classified by the United Nations as a human rights abuse.
Fairfax Media revealed last month that African-Australian toddler Fatoumata Binta had survived repeated attempts by her estranged father's relatives to kidnap her and force her to undergo the brutal procedure. 
The girl and her young mother, Fatoumata Bah, fled from relatives in Guinea across the border to Sierra Leone. They were in hiding until the Australian government was told of their plight and organised a safe house two weeks ago.
But it is unclear what action is being taken to ensure their ongoing safety or whether it will be possible for them both to leave the West African nation where rates of FGM are among the highest in the world.
"This is still an urgent situation, they are still not safe," said Paula Ferrari, co-founder of No FGM Australia.
"Every day they remain in Sierra Leone they risk being discovered by the family. And they are virtually in home detention because they can't step out the door for fear of being found."
Ms Ferrari said the accommodation was not fit for a child to stay long term and that they should be moved to a safer location while the government decided what to do.
Ms Bah said conditions at the safe house were poor: there is no electricity, they are given only two meals a day, and there are bed bug and insect infestations. She pays people to travel to the nearest town buy extra food and charge her phone.
"She's been staunch, but she has huge bites on her and the child is scratching all the time," Ms Ferrari said. "They can't do anything about the conditions because they can't leave."
Ms Bah said she was initially told by consular officials that only her child - who is an Australian citizen by descent on her father's side - would be able to come to Australia.
Officials later asked if she had a valid passport but have not given her an update on what is happening, she said.   
Bites on Ms Bah's arm from a species of beetle that lives in decaying plant matter and releases a potent toxin when it comes into contact with skin, suffered while in the safe house.  Photo: Supplied
There has been a groundswell of support since the mother appealed for help through Fairfax Media, including a crowd-funding campaign to help with living expenses. A petition launched on Change.org less than 24 hours ago calling on Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to intervene has already attracted thousands of signatures.
Federal Labor and the Greens have also backed calls for the government to take immediate action and bring the pair to Australia. 
National Children's Commissioner Megan Mitchell said the government was required do everything in its power to protect children at risk of FGM as a signatory to United Nations treaties against child abuse and torture. 
Accommodation offered to Ms Bah and Her daughter in Frankston, in Melbourne's south-east. Photo: Supplied
Advocates have been inundated with calls from people pledging support, with more than a dozen offers of accommodation in four states.
No FGM Australia has approved a self-contained bungalow in Frankston offered to the family for free for three months should they come to Australia.
Accommodation in Frankston. Photo: Supplied
High-profile human rights lawyer Felicity Gerry, QC, who has been assisting advocates, said the government's commitment to tackling child abuse must extend to protecting girls overseas.
Ms Gerry, an expert on FGM and international sex offences, drew attention to this case in a speech at a national law conference last week.
"It would be remarkable if the child were not given protection in Australia, together with her mother, when all Australian law and policy is to protect children here and abroad," she said.
Both the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Immigration Department would not give any details about the case.
A spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said DFAT was providing consular assistance and would not comment further.
Ms Ferrari said DFAT had told her there were complications because the mother was not an Australian citizen but that the Immigration Department was "working through some of these complexities".
But she stressed the need for urgency. "Activists have been tortured and killed in Sierra Leone for speaking out about FGM," she said. "As a single woman without family support she is incredibly vulnerable. They need to be protected. They need to be moved now."
beau.donelly@fairfaxmedia.com.au 
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