Wales’ first female genital mutilation clinic set to open
WALES’ first clinic to help victims of female genital mutilation (FGM) will open in Cardiff next year.
The clinic, which will be at Cardiff Royal Infirmary, is the first in Wales.
Between October 2016 and 2017 in the Cardiff and Vale University health board area there were 203 women living with the effects of FGM. In total there are an estimated 2,000 women in Wales living with the effects of FGM.
The practice sees the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs. It happens in Africa, as well as parts of the Middle East and Asia.
It is performed on young girls, has no health benefits, and can cause a huge range of medical issues.
The announcement was made during a debate led in the Senedd by Cardiff North AM Julie Morgan.
Across Wales’ seven health boards there were 123 women who needed medical attention as a result of FGM in the same period and 44 children vulnerable to being subjected to FGM.
Ms Morgan told Assembly colleagues: “As well as teachers, doctors, police and social workers we must educate teaching assistants, health visitors, school secretaries, doctors’ receptionists, and more. FGM must be talked about widely and in a matter-of-fact way in the same way as we talk about the health dangers of smoking.
“It’s not an issue we should tiptoe around. However, while we condemn the actions we must make it clear that we do not condemn the communities.
“Professionals wanted us to have this debate and us to talk about these issues.”
She said she believed it was “essential” there was teaching about FGM in schools.
“We shouldn’t shy away from tackling this issue in the community.
“It’s very important we’re having this debate today – we’re trying to open up this subject to show we recognise it’s our duty as a National Assembly and as a government to recognise the harm that this process does and to do everything we can in as sensitive a way as possible.”
Labour colleague Jenny Rathbone said FGM was not a new phenome- non and needed addressing. “A specialist clinic is due to open next year. The clinic is going to be at Cardiff Royal Infirmary, in Adamsdown. It’s an appropriate place because it’s easy for people in the community involved to access it. It’s a very good step forward.”
A motion calling on the Welsh Government to do more to educate everyone about FGM, provide more support and training for teachers and doctors and more coherent collection of data to help give a clearer picture of the issue in Wales was passed during the debate.
Ms Morgan said: “I’d like to welcome an initiative which is under way at the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust to create a clinic in the old CRI building for women who have experienced FGM.
“The clinic will open in January as a pilot project and will be a midwifeled ‘well woman’ clinic open to all, and the midwife leading it is the specialist asylum-seeker and FGM lead for the health authority.
“They hope to pick up women who’ve experienced FGM when they come for medical check-ups who can then be referred to a consultant and they can report any at-risk children.”