'Patchy' training on genital mutilation issues leaves girls at risk

Although FGM is illegal in the UK, government guidance on safeguarding children against the practice is not a compulsory part of training for professionals working with girls who could be at risk. 

Naana Otoo-Oyortey, executive director of Forward (the Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development), argued that the current approach to tackling FGM is “patchy” and failing to safeguard children at risk.

The charity’s research estimates that 24,000 girls under 16, many from African communities, could be at risk of FGM in England and Wales. 

“Key professionals do not have the confidence to effectively respond where girls are at risk,” she said.

“Current guidance on FGM has not been accorded statutory status and, as such, does not form part of mainstream training for frontline professionals, such as GPs, health visitors and teachers, who come into contact with women and girls affected by FGM.”

The charity is calling on government to develop a national strategy on preventing FGM immediately to protect children ahead of the summer, when girls are often taken abroad and subjected to the practice.

“The UK government must take appropriate measures including developing a comprehensive and national strategy on FGM to demonstrate a commitment to protecting the rights of all girls at risk of FGM in the UK,” Otoo-Oyortey said.

The warning comes after a Sunday Times investigation last month filmed a doctor, a dentist, an alternative medical practitioner and a religious leader allegedly offering to facilitate the practice of FGM on girls as young as 10 years old in the UK. 

Forward argued that the newspaper’s investigation demonstrates the need for professionals to better engage with FGM-affected communities, including men and religious leaders, if the practice is to be stopped.