Metropolitan Police Offer A 20k Reward For Information Leading to Arrest and Prosecution of FGM

Launching its summer, campaign the Metropolitan police has taken the unusual step of offering a maximum £20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of anyone carrying out female genital mutilation (FGM) in London. The FGM Act 2003makes it a criminal offence in England, Scotland and Wales to mutilate the genitals of females who are UK nationals or permanently resident in the UK. It is also a crime to take a girl out of the UK and have her mutilated. This offence carries a 14 years prison sentence. As well as being a criminal offence, FGM is a violation of human rights – it is therefore a child protection issue. The Metropolitan police have information that some girls from practicing FGM communities are being subjected toFGM, either in London or abroad. FGM is often carried out during the summer holidays. It is an extreme form of abuse which can result in death. Project Azure was launched on 11 July by the Metropolitan Child Abuse Investigation Command at the start of the 2007 summer holidays to improve the enforcement of the law and to raise awareness that this illegal practice will not be tolerated in the UK; this will be done by working with partners and communities. FORWARD played a significant role in the launch of Project Azure and contributed to a number of media coverage including the BBC 1 Ten 0’clock news, Radio 4, LBC Radio, BBC Radio 94.9 FM, The Guardian, and The South London Press. FORWARD endorsed the action taken by the Metropolitan Police to offer the reward of £20,000. Maureen Salmon, Interim Director for FORWARD said “Project Azure will help to protect children at risk from this hidden crime: the mutilation is often performed in secret and, when healed, is invisible to the outside world”. FORWARD’s 2006 Prevalence study funded by the Department of Health estimated that some 66,000 women (based on 2001 Census data) in England and Wales are affected. “This is likely to be a conservative estimate. It is likely that numbers have increase since 2001. Action is therefore needed to present FGM being passed on to the younger generation” Waris Dirie, severely mutilated as a child, is a very prominent Somali-born campaigner (her Foundation has contributed £10,000 to the Metropolitan Police reward). She said: “I welcome the initiative by the Met in taking this important step in raising the profile of FGM and support this stance wholeheartedly . . . . . . many politicians do not take this cruel ritual performed on small girls seriously enough . . . . . . FGM has nothing to do with tradition, culture or religion. It is the most cynical form of child abuse. All countries worldwide are obliged to take serious and consequent actions against those who practice this crime.” If you have any information about: i. Young girls you think might be at risk of FGM ii. people who you think might be performing FGM in the London area iii. anything relating to the offence of FGM Please contact either Operation Azure (+44 [0]20 7230 8392) or, if you wish to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers (0800 555 111). FORWARD 0208 960 4000