FGM: thousands of women treated in London hospitals

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/mar/19/fgm-women-london-hospitals-female-genital-mutilation

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Thousands of women have been treated in London hospitals after suffering female genital mutilation.

Figures obtained by BBC London found that 3,939 FGM patients had been treated across 31 NHS hospital trusts in the capital.

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS foundation trust treated 1,146 FGM patients between 2009 and 2013.

St George's Healthcare NHS trust cared for 795 patients, the BBC reported.

Ealing Hospital NHS trust treated 633 patients, while the Whittington Health NHS trust cared for 493 patients.

Last year, health experts warned that the health and social care system was failing young girls who were at risk of FGM – which is classed as torture by the UN.

They said more needed to be done in the UK to safeguard young girls and babies at risk of the brutal procedure.

A report by experts from the Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the human rights organisation Equality Now and the trade union Unite said there were "gaps in responsiveness" to addressing FGM in the health and social care system.

Officials did not know whom to turn to if they suspected it had been carried out, and if a girl suspected to be at risk was referred to social services the issue may be dropped because some care workers did not feel that FGM lay within their remit, the report said.

There was no accountability in performance of health and social care workers and a lack of consistent data about the issue, the report found. There have been no prosecutions for FGM, even though it has been banned in the UK since 1985.

The home affairs select committee launched an inquiry into FGM in December. The committee chair, Keith Vaz, said at the time: "It is shocking that 28 years on from female genital mutilation first being made a criminal offence, there has not yet been a successful prosecution in the UK.

"The committee's inquiry will seek to find out why this is the case, as well as considering what more needs to be done to protect at-risk girls."