Today, over 200 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), with an annual estimate of over 3 million girls between infancy and age 15 at risk.
Female genital mutilation (FGM), sometimes known as ‘female circumcision’ or ‘female genital cutting’, is illegal in the UK.
It’s also illegal to take abroad a British national or permanent resident for FGM, or to help someone trying to do this.
On February 6, the United Nations will call on the world to fight together to reduce the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM is the ritual removal of some or all of the external female genitalia.
The practice is rooted in gender inequality as it attempts to control women's sexuality. It is usually initiated and carried out by women who fear that daughters who aren't cut will be exposed to social exclusion. Many actions have been taken locally throughout the African continent to curb this dangerous practice that is threat to rights of women and their bodies, as well as their physical health. Some of these efforts are led by women who have undergone FGM — or even inflicted it on others.
Although widely recognised as a global health concern by most intergovernmental organisations, FGM is most prevalent in the western, eastern, and northeastern regions of Africa. FGM reflects deep-rooted gender inequality and represents an extreme form of discrimination against women, aiming to control female sexuality and ensure premarital virginity.
Contact the police if you or someone you know is in immediate danger of FGM.
Typically performed on girls from infancy to adolescence, it can result in immediate and long-term health complications, including severe pain, excessive bleeding, scar tissue, keloids, shock, and, tragically, even death. For details of signs and health complications, please read pages 39-43 on: https://theschoolscharter.co.uk/3d-flip-book/guidance-for-schools/
Psychological repercussions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder often haunt women throughout their lives due to the trauma of the procedure. FGM robs women and girls of the opportunity to make informed decisions about their bodies and futures at an early age, perpetuating the notion of women's inequality within their communities.
There's often societal pressure to undergo FGM to conform to prevailing norms, linked with traditional ideals of femininity and modesty. These include the belief that girls become "clean" and "beautiful" after the removal of body parts deemed "unclean," "unfeminine," or "male."
If you or someone you know is at risk, contact the NSPCC anonymously if you’re worried that a girl or young woman is at risk or is a victim of FGM.
NSPCC FGM Helpline:
Email: fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk
Telephone: 0800 028 3550
From overseas: +44 (0)800 028 3550
FREE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
FGM is illegal in the UK: https://www.gov.uk/female-genital-mutilation-help-advice#:~:text=Female%20genital%20mutilation%20(%20FGM%20)%2C,someone%20trying%20to%20do%20this.
The UK, the Home Office actively encourages education on FGM free E-Learning Package: www.fgmelearning.co.uk/
Multiagency statutory guidance on FGM – HM Government 2016: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/746560/6-1914-HO-Multi_Agency_Statutory_Guidance_on_FGM__-_MASTER_V7_-_FINAL_-_Amended081018.pdf
Mandatory Reporting of FGM – procedural information – HM Government 2015: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/573782/FGM_Mandatory_Reporting_-_procedural_information_nov16_FINAL.pdf
Let’s talk FGM: https://www.letstalkfgm.nhs.uk/
NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/female-genital-mutilation-fgm/
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