10
Feb
2014
By Calvin at 10:28 GMT, 12 years ago
With reference to two previous stories on this website about FGM, Ministers from across government have recently signed-up to the FGM declaration to stop the practice of Female Genital Mutilation.
Practical steps mean that for the first time ever, it will be mandatory for all NHS acute hospitals to provide information on patients who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). This will be recorded centrally, helping to provide more information on the incidence and prevalence of FGM than ever before.
In addition, following the Home Office’s successful bid for funding from the European Commission, a new £100,000 FGM Community Engagement Initiative launched on 6 February. Charities can bid for up to £10,000 to carry out community engagement work aimed at raising awareness of FGM.
The government has also appointed a consortium of leading anti-FGM campaigners to deliver a global campaign to end FGM.
On 6 February Government ministers met with charities and stakeholders at a roundtable to discuss future work to end FGM and sign a declaration of their ongoing commitment.
Crime Prevention Minister Norman Baker said: “There is no justification whatsoever for Female Genital Mutilation – it is child abuse and it is illegal.
“I am determined we do all we can to bring perpetrators to justice. The law in this country applies to absolutely everyone and political or cultural sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing, uncovering and prosecuting those who instigate and carry out FGM.
“We have launched a new FGM Community Engagement Initiative, we are continuing our work with the Director of Public Prosecutions to help secure convictions and we are part-funding a study into the prevalence of FGM in the UK.”
Read the rest at Gov.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-government-measures-to-end-fgm
