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| Michael Gove agrees to write to schools over female genital mutilation | Michael Gove agrees to write to schools over female genital mutilation |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Michael Gove has agreed to write to all schools about female genital mutilation, after a Guardian-backed petition urging the education secretary to take action attracted nearly 250,000 signatures. | |
| The education secretary's pledge came as he met 17-year-old student Fahma Mohamed, the face of the campaign, and praised her for her "inspirational" work. He agreed to write to primary and secondary headteachers drawing their attention to safeguarding guidelines around FGM and reminding them of their duty to protect schoolgirls. | |
| Speaking after the meeting, Fahma said she was relieved and delighted at the outcome. "I think it is fantastic that he is finally listening, I feel like we had got over the biggest hurdle and I am so glad he is willing to meet us and see the work we do." | Speaking after the meeting, Fahma said she was relieved and delighted at the outcome. "I think it is fantastic that he is finally listening, I feel like we had got over the biggest hurdle and I am so glad he is willing to meet us and see the work we do." |
| She thanked the thousands of people who had put their names to the petition. "I want to thank every single person who signed, without them we would never have got this meeting and Mr Gove would never have agreed to write to all schools. This is a real step to helping us eradicate this issue forever. It's a huge weight off my shoulders." | She thanked the thousands of people who had put their names to the petition. "I want to thank every single person who signed, without them we would never have got this meeting and Mr Gove would never have agreed to write to all schools. This is a real step to helping us eradicate this issue forever. It's a huge weight off my shoulders." |
| Gove also agreed to consider how FGM education could be delivered in an age-appropriate way in classrooms, and promised to visit Fahma and members of the youth charity Integrate Bristol at the City Academy Bristol, one of two schools in the country to run a dedicated FGM project. | Gove also agreed to consider how FGM education could be delivered in an age-appropriate way in classrooms, and promised to visit Fahma and members of the youth charity Integrate Bristol at the City Academy Bristol, one of two schools in the country to run a dedicated FGM project. |
| The education secretary said: "I was very pleased to meet Fahma Mohamed today. She has been running an inspirational campaign. Fahma and her supporters have done fantastic work in raising awareness of female genital mutilation. It is a truly horrific crime. We must do everything we can to end it." | |
| Gove said guidance on keeping children safe would be sent out by Easter – before the summer holidays – and would include material to enable teachers to tackle female genital mutilation. The material will cover prevalence statistics, factors that heighten risk, warning signs and a reminder of the statutory safeguarding duties of teachers and other school staff in relation to female genital mutilation, as well as links to other information. | |
| He asked for more evidence of good practice on teacher training and how education about FGM could be age-appropriate. "I thank Fahma – and other courageous public campaigners against female genital mutilation – for their efforts. We all want to see this very serious form of child abuse consigned to history," he said. | |
| Fahma, a trustee of Integrate Bristol, met Gove alongside the charity's founder, Lisa Zimmerman, and fellow members Naz Ahmed, Hamda Mohamed and Faduma Dualeh. | Fahma, a trustee of Integrate Bristol, met Gove alongside the charity's founder, Lisa Zimmerman, and fellow members Naz Ahmed, Hamda Mohamed and Faduma Dualeh. |
| The campaign has gathered momentum in recent days, after the Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai said Fahma was her "sister" and praised her efforts. "Over 140 million girls and women are mutilated – but like keeping girls out of school in Pakistan, we can come out together and be strong and change things for the next generation," Malala said. "I am her sister and I am at her side." | |
| The campaign, one of the biggest hosted on Change.org, also won the backing of the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, who called it "deeply inspiring". |