Reporting of female genital mutilation to be made mandatory
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Version 0 of 1. Teachers, doctors and nurses will have a mandatory duty to report suspected cases of female genital mutilation under planned new measures announced by the government. The move, designed to aid police investigations and increase the rate of prosecutions for FGM, was welcomed by campaigners against FGM. The requirements will be legislated for through amendments in the serious crime bill. Measures will also be introduced to provide multi-agency statutory guidance for professionals. Lynne Featherstone, the crimeprevention minister, who made the announcement late on Thursday, said: “We believe that introducing a mandatory duty will provide clarity for professionals and will give them the confidence to confront FGM. It will aid police investigations and increase the number of perpetrators caught and prosecuted. “It will also send a clear message to perpetrators that they will be held responsible for their actions and help prevent this appalling crime from happening.” The announcement follows a public consultation which sought views from a range of professionals, community groups, survivors and the police. Among those welcoming the announcement was the human rights group Equality Now, which said getting evidence on where FGM exists was vital as part of the safeguarding of girls at risk. Mary Wandia, the organisation’s FGM programme manager,, said: “We need to prevent FGM from happening at all and for that to happen, we need to have a clearer idea of the specifics relating to how reporting should take place and what pathways should be involved. “This is urgently needed to better equip frontline professionals who meet girls at risk, so they know what they are supposed to do. Alongside this, training is of course vital too and we are delighted to see this considered in yesterday’s provisions. This is not about sending people to prison, it’s about knowing how to best protect girls who need us to stand by them.” Dr Peter Carter, the chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said the focus on mandatory reporting was an important step towards ensuring that nurses, midwives and other health professionals act as they would with any suspected abuse and report it. He added: “It is important that with FGM, reporting procedures to the police are clear and easy to navigate, so that health professionals know what’s expected of them and this issue is properly tackled.” The Daughters of Eve, a charity dedicated to ending gender-based violence including female genital mutilation, tweeted: So this happened https://t.co/3l1pnF7mwc. Thanks to @lfeatherstone #TheGirlGeneration #TogethertoEndFGM The Home Office has said that the proposed mandatory duty will: The government said failure to comply with the duty would be dealt with via existing disciplinary measures, which may include referral to a professional regulator. Medical groups, trade unions and human rights organisations have estimated that there were 66,000 victims of FGM in the UK and more than 24,000 girls under 15 were at risk. Victims can be as young as just a few weeks old. |