Friday, 29 March, 2024
HomeFocusUpping the ante in the fight against FGM

Upping the ante in the fight against FGM

Female g enital mutilation (FGM) is not just an African problem. A British helpline received 215 calls in just under 10 months, [s]Sky News[/s] reports. Almost half of the cases have been referred to the police or children’s services. John Cameron, from the charity, said: ‘There’s a major problem… Many, many thousands of children are at risk to be taken abroad to be cut and this might be occurring in the UK as well.’ FGM, mainly carried out in African countries, is viewed by some cultures as a ritual linked with becoming a woman. Some 20,000 girls under 15-years are thought to be at risk of FGM in the UK annually, where it is viewed as child abuse and carries a 14-year jail sentence.

A lack of referrals from schools and medical professionals could lead to mandatory medical examinations to identify FGM victims. [s]The Guardian[/s] reports that an operation has been launched at airports to identify possible victims.

According to the [s]Evening Standard[/s], Keith Vaz, chair of the [b]Commons Home Affairs[/b] select committee, said doctors were simply ‘observing not reporting’ FGM cases. He added that it was ‘astonishing’ that the [b]Royal College of GPs[/b] was unable to say how many FGM cases its members had reported.

Healthcare experts say that the cutting of girls at FGM ‘parties’ is happening in Britain. [s]The Guardian[/s] reports that ‘cutters’ – often older women – are flown into Britain for the events, at which as many as a dozen girls may be operated on. Janet Fyle, of the [b]Royal College of Midwives[/b], said that by the time the authorities could be alerted, the cutter would have left. MPs heard that 75 to 80 women were undergoing FGM reversal operations in Britain each year.

Kenya’s government is to add staff to the [b]Anti-Female G enital Mutilation Board[/b]. [s]The Star[/s] reports that board chair Linah Kilimo said cases of FGM are on the rise, despite the practice being illegal. Kilimo said homegrown solutions are key to elimination of the ‘outdated’ practice.

[s]Capital FM[/s] reports that Kenyan authorities struggle to bring prosecutions. The practice has been illegal in Kenya since 2001 under laws that prohibit customs harmful to children. In 2011, another law was passed that specifically criminalises FGM. Even possession of instruments used in FGM is outlawed, as is failing to report the act. But, FGM is still widely practised, particularly among pastoralist communities. FGM poses significant health risks beyond the psychological consequences of pain, trauma and mutilation. As well as the threat of infection, it also increases dangers associated with childbirth such as haemorrhaging, and denies women their sexual rights.

[link url=http://news.sky.com/story/1258007/female-g enital-mutilation-a-major-uk-problem]Full Sky News report[/link]
[link url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/09/fgm-met-chief-medical-tests]Full report in the Guardian[/link]
[link url=http://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/keith-vaz-accuses-gps-of-failing-girl-victims-9336401.html]Full Evening Standard report[/link]
[link url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/06/female-g enital-mutilation-parties-uk-mps]Full report in The Guardian[/link]
[link url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201405090876.html]Full report in The Star[/link]
[link url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201405070199.html]Full Capital FM report[/link]

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