Misleading use of FGM statistics compounds concerns about their reliability

Macfarlane, Alison

doi:10.1136/bmj.l927

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Most of the current UK national policy was introduced on the assumption that prevalence of FGM/C in affected communities in the UK closely mirrors estimates in that of women’s countries of origin 4. It has been suggested that tens of thousands of girls in the UK could be at risk of genital cutting if international prevalence estimates are applied directly to the 2011 England and Wales census 5. However, this assumption fails to account for converging evidence of changing attitudes among communities affected by FGM/C and the effect of migration 46.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

UK policy response to female genital mutilation needs urgent rethink

Ali,

Karlsen,

Learner

et al. 2023

BMJ

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confidence: 99%

UK policy response to female genital mutilation needs urgent rethink

Ali,

Karlsen,

Learner

et al. 2023

BMJ

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“…In the United Kingdom, there has been a negative cumulative effect from (1) the demand for more prosecutions in the absence of prosecutable cases, (2) the requirement to record and report details of women with a history of FGM (which is a potential violation of privacy and medical confidentiality and should be stopped immediately) and (3) increased use of protection orders to take children into care only because the mother had FGM as a child or the family want to visit relatives in their home country. It would appear that there are still a few children who are being taken abroad to be cut, 58 but this does not justify the heavy-handed behaviour being exhibited, or in my opinion the terms of the 2015 amendments.…”

Section: Conclusion and Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 89%

Prosecution of female genital mutilation in the United Kingdom: Injustice at the intersection of good public health intentions and the criminal law

Berer

2019

Medical Law International

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Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a harmful traditional practice and a serious public health issue in the countries where it is carried out. It is also a violation of the rights of the girls to whom it is done. The main action taken in the United Kingdom to stop FGM, has been to criminalise it. Public health measures, such as the provision of specialist clinics for those who experience complications of FGM have been implemented as well, and some education in schools is provided. This article is about the injustice that has arisen from the pursuit of prosecutions for FGM in the United Kingdom, in spite of good public health intentions. Since 2012, there have been four criminal cases, several arrests that never came to trial, and for reasons of safeguarding, an unknown number of investigations with the threat of girls being taken into care, and people stopped from travelling with girl children to visit their families in FGM-practising countries. To date, only one criminal case in 2019 – R v. N (FGM) – which is the main subject of this article, has resulted in a guilty verdict. This article outlines this history in relation to the criminal law and uses courtroom observation to analyse what happened in the 2019 case in detail. It argues that the conviction depended on medical opinion and the highly uncertain evidence of two children and was influenced by a spurious link to witchcraft that should never have been permitted in the courtroom. It argues that this conviction is unsafe and should be appealed. It further argues that to use protection orders only because a child’s mother had FGM, in the absence of any evidence of risk, is discriminatory and a form of impermissible racial/ethnic profiling. The article concludes that the United Kingdom should stop recording a history of FGM in women seeking healthcare. It calls for the current law against FGM to be reconsidered and replaced with positive measures for countering FGM which have the support and involvement of the community groups to whom they are addressed.

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“…Several recent studies have found evidence that migrant communities are abandoning the practice of FGM [20][21][22][23] , in part due to the work of activists and educators from within practicing communities. Concern has been raised that estimates of FGM rates or risk to children derived from ethnicity of their mothers are inaccurate 24 , and that attempts to estimate risk have been misrepresented 25 . The low numbers identified in this study may indicate that there is very little FGM happening in the UK, although there remains the possibility that some FGM may be continuing on a hidden level.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiological surveillance study of female genital mutilation in the UK

et al. 2020

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ObjectivesDescribe cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) presenting to consultant paediatricians and sexual assault referral centres (SARCs), including demographics, medical symptoms, examination findings and outcome.DesignThe well-established epidemiological surveillance study performed through the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit included FGM on the monthly returns.SettingAll consultant paediatricians and relevant SARC leads across the UK and Ireland.PatientsUnder 16 years old with FGM.InterventionsData on cases from November 2015 to November 2017 and 12 months later meeting the case definition of FGM.Main outcome measuresReturns included 146 cases, 103 (71%) had confirmed FGM and 43 (29%) did not meet the case definition. There were none from Northern Ireland.ResultsThe mean reported age was 3 years. Using the WHO classification of FGM, 58% (n=60) had either type 1 or type 2, 8% (n=8) had type 3 and 21% (n=22) had type 4. 13% (n=13) of the cases were not classified and none had piercings or labiaplasty. The majority, 70% had FGM performed in Africa with others from Europe, Middle East and South-East Asia. There were few physical and mental health symptoms. Only one case resulted in a successful prosecution.ConclusionsThere were low numbers of children presenting with FGM and in the 2 years there was only one prosecution. The findings may be consistent with attitude changes in FGM practising communities and those at risk should be protected and supported by culturally competent national policies

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Misleading use of FGM statistics compounds concerns about their reliability

Cited by 5 publications

References 2 publications

UK policy response to female genital mutilation needs urgent rethink

UK policy response to female genital mutilation needs urgent rethink

Prosecution of female genital mutilation in the United Kingdom: Injustice at the intersection of good public health intentions and the criminal law

Epidemiological surveillance study of female genital mutilation in the UK

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