From next week care professionals must report FGM cases to police

By The Press Association20th October 2015News EnglandChild Abuse, Female Genital Mutilation, News England, Sexual Abuse

A duty requiring teachers, doctors and nurses to report cases of female genital mutilation will come into force next week.

New laws announced earlier this year will make disclosure of instances of the practice mandatory.

Under the measures health and social care professionals and teachers in England and Wales will be expected to report “visually confirmed” or “verbally disclosed” cases of FGM in girls under 18 to police.

They will be obliged to report cases within a month unless there are “exceptional” circumstances involving safeguarding issues.

Those who do not comply could face internal disciplinary action or referral to regulators, which have the power to bar them from practice.

The Home Office has announced that the new duty will commence from October 31.

Karen Bradley (pictured), Minister for Preventing Abuse and Exploitation, said there is “clear evidence” that existing systems are “not yielding appropriate referrals to the police”.

She said: “FGM is a crime and it is child abuse, and this Government will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls.

“The duty is an important step forward in tackling this practice, and we believe that it will make sure professionals have the confidence to confront FGM.

“We need to ensure that where a serious crime has been committed, the police are informed and can instigate an appropriate multi-agency response to protect girls and bring perpetrators to justice.”

It has been estimated that 130,000 women living in Britain have been subjected to FGM, which can cause infection, problems in childbirth and death.

Figures published by the NHS last month showed there more than 1,000 newly recorded cases at hospitals, GP surgeries and mental health centres in England between April and June.

The practice has been illegal in Britain since 1985. There has been a recent rise in police investigations but no successful prosecutions.

The Home Office said it has been working with professional bodies and police to prepare for the introduction of the new requirement.

Guidance to help staff understand and comply with the duty will be published today.

It follows the introduction of FGM protection orders, which allow authorities to seize the passports of people who they suspect are planning on taking girls abroad for mutilation.

Celia Jeffreys, Head of the National FGM Centre, said: “FGM is child abuse and no girl should ever have to deal with the physical and emotional consequences of this harmful practice.

“Mandatory reporting is one element in driving cultural change, but the key to addressing the problem is supporting communities to change their approaches to FGM.

“As well as helping professionals understand their responsibilities in relation to mandatory reporting, it will also be important to monitor the impact of the new law to ensure the children’s safeguarding system is not overloaded.”