A government consultation on the FGM civil orders published on Tuesday, says the orders would be similar to existing forced marriage protection orders, which are used to protect those who have been, or are at risk of being, forced into marriage through court-imposed prohibitions, restrictions or requirements.
They can include provisions not to threaten, harass or use force, or to surrender a person’s passport.
Other measures announced by Prime Minister David Cameron at a summit yesterday hosted by Unicef, include:
• A £1.4m programme to safeguard those at risk of FGM and care for victims
• New guidance for police on the issue
• Changes to inspections of police forces, so they are judged on how they respond to it
• Legislation so parents can be prosecuted if they fail to prevent their daughter being cut
• Granting victims lifelong anonymity
• An FGM service, involving social work, to proactively identify and respond to FGM
The Department of Health has also pledged to improve data collection across the NHS to help understand the prevalence of FGM in England.
By September this year, all acute hospitals must report the number of patients with FGM to the Department of Health on a monthly basis.
Improved training packages will be introduced to enable frontline health workers to respond appropriately, while health professionals will have their safeguarding responsibilities clarified.
Public health minister Jane Ellison said: “FGM can completely devastate the lives of sufferers.
"I am immensely proud of the work the government is doing to eradicate this dreadful practice. This will enhance the safeguarding responsibility of the NHS around FGM to care, protect and prevent.”
Geoff Debelle, officer for child protection at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said FGM should be treated the same as other forms of child maltreatment.
"FGM should be everybody’s business and it is right that extra training be given to teachers, doctors and social workers in order to help them to identify and assist girls who are at risk of FGM," he said.
But the Local Government Association (LGA) has called on government to take further steps on the issue.
Ann Lucas, chair of the LGA’s safer and stronger communities board, said: “FGM will only be eradicated in the long-term by changing practice and custom in communities where it happens and this requires working with and empowering members of these communities to change their views towards FGM.
“Making it a clear criminal offence to encourage or promote the practice of FGM, and not just the physical act of an individual assisting or carrying out a mutilation, is a necessary step in bringing cases against those who support FGM and to help change attitudes.
“The government also needs to provide further funding and support to FGM charities to increase their capacity in same way as those that support victims of domestic violence.”
The government consultation on FGM civil orders will run until 19 August.
