In the past year, 5700 cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) were recorded in England (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2016). These are the first statistics on FGM prevalence since reporting became mandatory in 2015 from NHS Trusts and GP practices.
Janet Fyle, a professional policy advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, tweeted that although there had been more than 5000 incidences of FGM, a lot of progress has been made to eradicate the practice.
This was one of the key messages from the second anniversary of the Girl Summit on 19 July. Held at the House of Lords, a number of prominent FGM campaigners, health and education professionals and MPs gathered to celebrate the achievements of the Girl Summit and campaigners.
‘We have to thank the beautiful women who have told us their stories and who finally told us that enough was enough with FGM,’ said Ms Fyle at the event.
‘We have come a long way with collecting data but we need to continue this progress, and we must work to extend the message that FGM is child abuse,’ she added.
A short film was screened featuring midwife Florence Acquah, Pastor Mary McCauley, Ibraheem Taqieu-Conteh from Diasporan Hands, Shahin Ashraf from the Muslim Women's Network, and Muna Hassan from Integrate Bristol, discussing the facts around FGM. Ms Acquah reiterated that there are no health benefits whatsoever of FGM. ‘Women can have a number of problems [following FGM]—whether it's infertility, difficulty passing urine, urinary infection—and sometimes have problems during childbirth. It's important for us to understand what these women are going through and then give them the appropriate referrals.’
Both Pastor McCauley and Ms Ashraf said that neither the Qur'an nor the Bible sanctioned FGM. ‘It has nothing to do with purification or cleansing,’ said Pastor McCauley.
The film is currently making the rounds across social media and, as of 19 July, had over half a million views.
Mr Taquieu-Conteh spoke about the male role and how men are crucial to tackling FGM. ‘We men, if we put 50% into this fight, this fight can end now. We can't leave women alone,’ he told the attendees. He said that in most places, FGM was considered a women's issue, but education for men can change that. He said men are fundamental in tackling FGM from the cultural point of view.
Ms Hassan said that young people can educate themselves and speak with their parents about the lack of religious backing and health benefits, to break the cycle.
The event was also attended by Jane Ellison, the former public health minister, and Nicola Blackwood MP, the newly appointed public health minister. Ms Blackwood stated that she would continue Ms Ellison's fight to eradicate FGM in a generation. She addressed the midwives, nurses and health visitors present, saying that they were ‘achieving something remarkable’ and that ‘without bravery we cannot continue’.
‘We need to make sure the foundation is embedded and move on to the next phase of the prevention plan. This will involve looking at the mental health of survivors and the cost of treating complications for the NHS,’ she added. She also applauded the important work that Ms Ellison had undertaken in raising the profile of FGM.
Justine Greening, the former secretary of state for international development, and Priti Patel, the newly appointed secretary of state for international development, were present at the end of the event but neither spoke.