Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Since the last Forum in December 1997, Debbie Read has been conducting research into Local Authority policies and practices in relation to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in England and Wales.

Some 83% of Local Authorities responded to the survey, giving a very accurate picture of the way in which the issue is handled by the statutory agencies. A number of the main findings from the research are summarised below.

1. The number of women from communities that traditionally practice FGM is rising in the UK. However, very few Local Authorities have systems in place to accurately assess the at risk of FGM population.
2. 46% of Local Authorities have people from affected communities living in their area. The majority of these are in Greater London.
3. 65% of Local Authorities currently have no specific policy or procedures in place for dealing with cases of FGM or for working with the community on the elimination of the practice. This may be indicative of the reluctance of authorities to ‘interfere’ in cultural practices despite their contravention of national and international law.
4. Local Authorities with known communities are more likely to have a policy and procedures in place. Currently, 45% of Local Authorities with known affected communities have specific policies and procedures in place.
5. 32% of Local Educational Authorities stated that children from affected communities are currently attending schools in their area.
6. The education service has a crucial role in the recognition of children at risk or having suffered FGM. However, 67% of Local Education Authorities stated that no training had been provided at all.
7. The need for multi-agency training for all professionals emerged as one of the key issues in the survey. Only 5% of Social Services Departments stated that specialist training had been provided for staff who work with or who are likely to work with FGM cases.
8. There have been no criminal prosecutions under the Female Circumcision Act 1985 or Prohibitive Steps Orders taken to prevent children being taken out of the country since the introduction of the Children Act 1989. This contradicts the strong anecdotal evidence that FGM is taking place in this country or girls are being taken out of the country to have it performed, and the evidence of the rising number of immigrants to this country who are know to practice FGM.