Peer calls for stronger protection for women

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Baroness Tonge wants greater education and prosecution against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

FGM or Cutting is defined by the United Nations as ‘all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons’.

FGM is irreversible, cruel, against the rights of the child – it causes death, suffering and misery.

FGM affects millions of girls and women around the world, including here in the UK. The cutting is traditionally carried out by an older woman with no medical training with basic tools such as knives, scissors or pieces of glass, to girls often between ages four and ten. Contrary to popular belief, FGM is not a practice prescribed in Islam. It is in fact, a cultural practice that transcends religious affiliation as it is practised among Christian, Islamic and Shamanistic communities in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

The exact number of girls who have been subjected to FGM or are at risk in the UK is unknown, but a survey conducted years ago showed that around 20,000 girls were at risk and with increased immigration into the UK since then, this number must now be much higher.

I ask myself three questions in preparation for my oral PQ today in the House of Lords:

· Why is this abusive and detrimental practice still happening in our modern society, when it has been illegal for nearly 10 years – or 27 years if we include the 1985 law – and numerous excellent guidelines exist for frontline professionals?

· If young men were subjected to such a cruel and inhumane cultural practice, would it have received much greater priority and been stopped earlier?

· What can we do to stop the practice now, when laws and guidelines have been relatively unsuccessful?

Prevention is paramount, so we need to improve education in schools to young girls and boys and increase public and professional awareness of FGM. We need to step up education and collaboration with practising communities and frontline professionals to engage more in FGM and refer to police.

We also need a UK Goodwill Ambassador – UN Special Ambassador Waris Dirie is an amazing woman.

The time has also come to learn from abroad and bring about prosecutions to stop the practice. This means that we either need victims to testify, or the police to obtain enough evidence to bring about a prosecution.

Introducing Health Passports, as in Holland and France, appears successful and to be a way forward, as is handing out a booklet during holidays providing information to practising communities that FGM is against the law, signed by a number of high officials from justice, health and social services – in conjunction with a non-invasive physical examination, i.e. inspection!

We must also equip frontline professionals better, especially GPs, health visitors and midwives to recognise and deal appropriately with FGM victims. GPs need to be reminded to examine young girls who repeatedly attend surgeries for urinary and other associated FGM problems. In Scandinavian countries, young children are routinely examined by the school nurse.

Furthermore, girls born in the UK after the 2004 FGM Act will soon be entering their reproductive year and FGM cannot go unrecognised in labouring women by midwives, who need to be equipped to deal appropriately with FGM victims to ensure convictions.

Let us remember that asking a young person to have a quick and simple, non-invasive examination is probably a good thing overall, as many other ailments can be discussed and rectified if picked up early. The British culture of being ‘culturally sensitive’ and ‘prudish’ must not override children’s health, wellbeing and rights.

Baroness Tonge has been life peer 2005 and was the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health 20005-2010.