Daily roundup: Child abuse, healthy living, and school sport
Neil Puffett
Friday, March 21, 2014
First prosecutions for female genital mutilation announced; call for pre-9pm junk food TV advertising ban; and funding boost for disabled school sport, all in the news today.
The first prosecutions over female genital mutilation in the UK have been announced by the Crown Prosecution Service. The BBC reports that Dr Dhanoun Dharmasena will be prosecuted for an alleged offence while working at the Whittington Hospital in London in November 2012, and Hasan Mohamed will face a charge of intentionally encouraging an offence of female genital mutilation. The pair will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 15 April.
Campaigners are calling for a ban on the advertising of products high in sugar, salt or fat to be extended to anything shown before the 9pm watershed. The Guardian reports that the call was made after research showed that there are as many as 11 advertisements for junk foods during an hour's viewing of family-orientated television shows such as X-Factor, The Simpsons and Hollyoaks.
Children and families minister Edward Timpson has announced a £300,000 boost to help more disabled young people play sport in schools. The Department for Education cash will enable the Project Ability grant to run for a further year and encourage more disabled young people take part in sporting activities.
A new service that helps mums struggling to form a relationship with their baby is being launched in Liverpool next week. LivPIP is being run by social enterprise PSS and will work with women and their families from pregnancy through birth and up to two years of age. The project is being paid for with a £500,000 award from the Parent Infant Partnership (PIP UK) and Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce plans for a new NHS vaccine for children against meningitis B. According to the Independent, Hunt has decided to reverse a recommendation made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation not to introduce the vaccine as part of the UK’s routine child immunisation programme.
A new campaign designed to remove the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health issues has been launched. Livity and Time to Change have joined forces to run a digital campaign aiming to change how young people aged 14- to 18-years-olds view mental health.
