All schools asked to be alert to ‘abhorrent violence’ of FGM

EDUCATION Secretary Kirsty Williams has written to all schools in Wales to raise awareness of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

All head teachers are being reminded of the issue and their responsibilities to help ensure that children and young people remain safe while they are in school.

Staff should also be vigilant to the risk of young girls being taken abroad in the summer holidays to undergo FGM, the letter warns.

Prevalence of FGM in Wales is difficult to estimate because of the hidden nature of the crime, but an estimated 137,000 women and girls are affected by FGM in Wales and England.

Ms Williams said: “I have written to schools to seek their assistance in helping eradicate this particularly abhorrent form of violence against women and girls.

“It is imperative we all recognise the warning signs of a child who might be at risk.

“Female Genital Mutilation is child abuse and a criminal offence. It cannot be justified as a cultural or religious practice and leaders of all main faiths have rightly spoken out against it.

“School and college staff must play a crucial role in safeguarding young people from abuse, which is why it is vital that they are alert to the signs of FGM and what action to take if they have concerns.

“Staff should also be aware that young girls may be taken abroad in summer holidays to undergo FGM, as procedures take up to four weeks to heal. The procedure may therefore be performed before a girl returns to school at the start of the autumn term.

“It is essential that staff are vigilant in looking for signs of FGM after the school holidays and report anything that may seem suspicious to the appropriate professional.

“I want all of us to be more aware of this unacceptable abuse, so together we can put an end to FGM in Wales.”

Statutory guidance is in place to support schools and education services in ensuring that child welfare concerns are acted upon effectively, involving investigating agencies where necessary.

Cardiff-based Bawso, which works with victims of FGM, is working to open a pilot clinic at the Cardiff Royal Infirmary to provide medical and psychological help to survivors.

There are five drop-in clinics in England for victims of the practice but none in Wales.

A Cardiff Council inquiry into FGM last year found 20 cases had been identified in the city and that the Crown Prosecution Service reported that there was one potential case being investigated in Cardiff although no prosecutions had taken place.

A report to the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee in February this year said more data and training was needed to find out the scale of the abuse.

Bawso told the inquiry it had been engaged with 788 families in the past three years on work ranging from FGM awareness to one to one

support.

The report added: “The inquiry heard how FGM was very complex and linked intrinsically with a community’s belief system and culture.

“Members heard case studies and anecdotal evidence from professionals and via community meetings held in Grangetown, which highlighted the difficulties faced by women and girls within their communities.”

A case of female genital mutilation was discovered every three days, on average, by maternity staff in Wales last year.

Figures obtained by BBC Wales earlier this year show 123 victims of FGM were found by midwives or maternity doctors across Wales in 2016.

A further 44 children under the age of 18 were highlighted as vulnerable to the practice.

It has been illegal to carry out FGM in the UK since 1985, but there has not been a single successful prosecution.