Hackney MP welcomes plan to tackle female genital mutilation

Action on FGM is welcome, says Diane Abbott, Shadow Health Minister and MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington

Hackney MP and Shadow Public Health Minister Diane Abbott has applauded the announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service of a crackdown on female genital mutilation (FGM) in the UK, as the UN also announced a ruling condemning the practice.

Many politicians including Labour MP Diane Abbott and the Green Party’s London MEP Jean Lambert have welcomed the news, which has particular relevance to a borough where communities still practising female genital mutilation live.

Diane Abbott said: “I really welcome this. The issue has lurked in the shadows for too long, and I think it’s got to be brought into mainstream consciousness more.

“About 20,000 children in England and Wales are deemed ‘at risk’ every year. The situation is similar in France, yet whereas some 100 parents and practitioners of this have been convicted in France, there has never been a single prosecution in the UK. I think many of the people who are affected by this are voiceless and unprotected, and we’ve got to do more to understand it.”

The CPS published an action plan which will aim to assess the scale of the problem, and will provide access to an FGM Fund, offering support to local communities working to prevent female genital mutilation.

In Hackney many organisations have been working independently to prevent the practice of FGM and have supported victims in the borough over many years. The Hackney Somali Community Association, Rise Community Action and the African Forum among others, have all developed initiatives and community outreach programmes targeted at the eradication of FGM.

Janet Murungi from the Hackney African Forum and the African Women’s Network, who work to raise awareness of the implications of female genital mutilation, commented: “The fact that there has not been any FGM prosecution in the UK was making our work difficult and often leaving our clients feeling helpless and frustrated.

“The news of this new action plan by the CPS will mean our message that FGM is a crime and violence against women will make more sense. Our users are very excited about the news and so are we, although we feel it should have been implemented sooner.”

A study by the Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD) estimated that more than 32,000 girls living in the UK were at high risk of being subjected to FGM and over 66,000 had already undergone FGM.

Although  female genital mutilation has been a criminal offence since 1985 and The Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2003 made it illegal to take children abroad for the purposes of FGM, there has never been a conviction in this country. Only three cases have ever been referred to the CPS and only one of these made it to court.

Nimco Ali from Daughters of Eve (a non-profit organisation seeking to protect girls and young women from FGM) welcomed the crackdown and commended above all the passion and commitment of the Director of Public Prosecutions for the issue, saying: “For too long people have been seeking to somewhat justify the need for illegalisation of FGM or to give it teeth by getting a conviction, which has been difficult as there has been and was, no real interest or commitment behind the words.

“Keir Starmer not only understands the short comings of the system but also that a number of avenues are open to getting prosecution and protecting young women and girls at risk.”

The news from the CPS is a welcome pledge of support for many of the groups and organisations who campaign independently to protect women in the borough from female genital mutilation. They will now have the much-needed help of the CPS and the authorities along with access to necessary funding.

The UN’s recent ruling will also give power to those campaigning locally to eradicate the practise. Green Party London MEP Jean Lambert said: “When a woman is at risk of forced female genital mutilation, she faces a serious threat to her physical health and mental well-being. Many women never fully recover from this often violent act, frequently performed against their will.

“I am delighted the UN Human Rights Committee has taken this step towards a worldwide ban on this fundamental violation of the human rights of women and girls.”