At the end of February I wrote to the Secretary of State for Education to lend my support to Miss Fahma Mohamed’s petition to end Female Genital Mutilation, raising my concerns with the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP regarding this abhorrent practice.
It is believed that around 24,000 girls, from infancy to the age of fifteen, are currently at risk of Female Genital Mutilation in Britain. I am proud that the Government has been so receptive to this important campaign, taking a proactive stance by raising awareness of the crime in schools, and by announcing plans to record all instances of FGM in hospitals and clinics.
Female Genital Mutilation is child abuse, it is illegal, and the Government is taking the appropriate steps to ensure future generations in Britain do not suffer as a result of this procedure.
Attached below is the response I have received from the Minister for Children and Families, Edward Timpson MP, outlining the Government’s plans to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation in Britain.