The practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is not reserved to the Middle East and Africa, as the law enforcement in the UK has discovered the hard way. Female genital mutilation is on the rise in Britain, as Scotland Yard estimates that up to 66,000 girls, 74,000 according to the woman's rights group Forward, in Great Britain are at risk.
FGM has been a criminal offense in the United Kingdom since 1985, with the Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act. In 2003 England, Wales and Northern Ireland, repealed and then re-enacted the 1985 Act, replacing it with the Female Genital Mutilation Act, which increased the maximum penalty for FGM from 5 years to 14 years. Unfortunately, there have been no prosecutions, just a change in the law itself. Thus the fight is not over, to rid the UK of FGM, it has only just begun, and the lack of prosecutions leaves many to question if it will ever end. To show they are stepping up their efforts and taking it more seriously, “police are offering a $40,000 reward for information leading to Britain's first prosecution for female genital mutilation”.
'they say this “extreme child abuse is illegal and won't be tolerated.” Yet, it's been illegal since 1985, and no one has yet been prosecuted for it.’ (Mutilated Girls; U.K.'s Ignored Secret)
Despite the law, and the lack of prosecutions, there has been an increase of girls presenting FGM related issues in NHS facilities. Many believe that FGM is only being pushed farther underground, and causing some to try and avoid the law by sending girls overseas to undergo the practice. While it is mostly found in first generation Britons, some fear that they will only continue see the practice rise, despite decreases over the years immigration in the UK remains high. Therefore prosecutions of those involved in the practice of FGM are essential in showing that Brittan will not tolerate such an inhuman practice against girls.
UNICEF UK, stated in a position paper, that it “supports the Female Genital Mutilation Bill but also stresses the need for the Government to invest more energy into exploring the reasons why there have been no prosecutions for FGM, and to address culturally sensitive, educative approaches for the eradication of this gross breach of the rights of young girls.”
Not only must the UK address the issues as stated by UNICEF, but it must address the fact that it is increasingly difficult to identify which children in the UK are at risk for FGM. As in any heavily diverse and culturally mixed community, risk factors are often easily over looked, and it is heightened by the sheer length in which a girl may remain at risk for FGM. As FGM is not just a practice that occurs in infancy, but can occur at anytime from birth through adolescence.
Shortly after the announcement of the reward money, a 36 year old woman was arrested on suspicion of trying to arrange a FGM proceedure. The woman has since been bailed, but is due in court on September 6, 2007, and while her fate is unknown girls in the UK continue to remain at risk. Therefore it looks to take much more than an increase in penalty of the law, and reward money, to eradicate FGM under the Queens Crown.
Links:
British Medical Association (BMA): Female genital mutilation – caring for patients and child protection
Blog: Female Genital Mutilation Taking Place In Britain, Are Police Afraid To Stop It?
