Female Genital Mutilation
On this page
What is FGM
“All procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.”
World Health Organisation (WHO)
Types of FGM
The World Health Organisation has classified FGM into four different types
Type I – Clitoridectomy
Partial or total removal of the clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals) and/or the prepuce (the clitoral hood or fold of skin surrounding the clitoris).
Type II – Excision
Partial or total removal of the clitoris and the inner labia, with or without excision of the outer labia (the labia are the ‘lips’ that surround the vagina).
Type III – Infibulation
Narrowing of the vaginal opening by creating a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner or outer labia, with or without removal of the clitoris.
Type IV – Other
All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g., pricking, piercing, incising, scraping, and cauterising (burning) the genital area..
What are the health consequences of FGM?
Risk
- Death
- Increased risk of fistula
- Severe pain and shock
- Complications in childbirth
- Broken limbs from being held down
- Depression and post-natal depression
- Injury to adjacent tissues
- Psychosexual problems
- Urine retention
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Increased risk of HIV and AIDS
- Sexual dysfunction
- Uterus, vaginal, and pelvic infections
- Difficulties in menstruation
- Cysts and neuromas
- Trauma and flashbacks
Watch some of our fantastic service users talking about the health impact FGM has had on their lives
Why do people practice FGM?
Many affected communities believe that FGM is a necessary custom to ensure that a girl is accepted within the community and is eligible for marriage. Families who practice FGM on girls usually see it as a way of safeguarding their future.
Other reasons include:
- Perceived health benefits
- Preservation of the girl’s virginity
- Cleanliness
- Rite of passage into woman-hood
- Status in the community
- Protection of family honour
- Perceived religious justifications – there are no religions that advocate for FGM.
Girls who had not been circumcised were perceived in practising communities as less honourable ‘easy-goers’, to be insulted and shunned. In some instances, this can even go so far as people refusing to eat food that has been prepared by an uncircumcised girl/woman, and curses being put upon the girl and her whole family.
Between Two Cultures, 2016
What is the Law in the UK around FGM?
FGM Act 2003:
A person is guilty of an offence if they excise, infibulate, or otherwise mutilate the whole or any part of a girl’s or woman’s labia majora, labia minora, or clitoris for non-medical reasons.
It is illegal to perform or to arrange for FGM to be performed on a girl in the UK or to take a girl abroad.
Serious Crime Act 2015:
Section 70 (1) of the Serious Crime Act 2015 (“the 2015 Act”) amends section 4 of the FGM Act 2003:
- It extends the extra-territorial powers of the law to further protect victims of FGM.
- It introduces victim anonymity to victims of FGM.
- It introduces civil measures to protect girls or women who have suffered or are believed to be at risk from FGM. Click here to find out more about Protection Orders.
- It introduces a mandatory reporting duty to report known cases of FGM, which applies to all regulated professionals.
- It covers all habitual residence of the UK and British Citizens.
- It introduces the new offence of failing to protect a girl from FGM. This will mean that if an offence of FGM is committed against a girl under the age of 16, each person who is responsible for the girl at the time FGM occurred will be liable under this new offence. The maximum penalty for the new offence is seven years’ imprisonment, or a fine, or both.
What are the signs that a girl could be at risk of FGM?
Risk
- A girl is born to a woman who has undergone FGM
- A girl from a practising community is withdrawn from PSHE and/or Sex and Relationship Education, or its equivalent. She may be at risk if her parents wish to keep her uninformed about her body, he rights, and FGM
- A mother requests re-infibulation following childbirth
- A girl has an older sibling or cousin who has undergone FGM
- A girl may confide that she is to have a ‘special procedure’ or attend a special occasion to ‘become a woman’
- One or both parents, or elder family members, consider FGM integral to their cultural or religious identity
- A girl may request help from a teacher or another adult if she is aware or suspects that she is at immediate risk
- The family indicates that pro-FGM elders have strong influence over the upbringing of female children
- Parents state that they or a relative will take the child out of the country for an extended period and are evasive about the reasons
- A girl/family has a limited level of integration within the UK community
- If there are references to FGM in conversation, for example, a girl may tell other children about it
- A girl is taken abroad to a country with high prevalence of FGM, especially during the summer holidays, which is known as the ‘cutting season’
What are the signs that FGM has occurred?
- Prolonged absence from schools
- Change of dress, from tight to loose-fitting clothing
- Frequent need to go to the toilet
- Long breaks to urinate
- Menstrual problems
- Urinary tract infections
- Difficulty sitting down comfortably
- Talk of something someone did to them that they are not allowed to talk about
- Complaints about pain between their legs
- Noticeable change in behaviour
What to do I do if I am worried a girl is at risk of/has undergone FGM?
As a regulated professional, if a girl (under 18) discloses that she has undergone FGM or you have visually identified FGM, you must contact the police on 101 as part of your mandatory reporting duty.
If you are concerned that a girl is at risk of FGM, a referral must be made to local children’s services.
If you are concerned that a girl is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999. If she is outside the UK, contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office:
- Telephone: 020 7008 1500
- From overseas: +44 (0)20 7008 1500
For guidance on what information is helpful when making a referral, you may find our Good Referral Guide helpful.
FGM Resources
Key Guidance and Resources
- FGM Global Prevalence Map – Click Here
- Good Referral Guide – Click Here
- FGM Direct Work Toolkit – Click Here
- FGM Assessment Tool for Social Workers- Click Here
- FGM Medical Examination Guidance – Click Here
- FGM Local Terminology – Click Here
- Leaflet on FGM – Click Here
- Multi-Agency Statutory Guidance on FGM – Click Here
- Mandatory Reporting Guidance – Click Here
- FGM: Guidance for Healthcare Staff + Risk Assessment – Click Here
- Dare2Care – Click Here
More guidance, resources, and reports on FGM can be found on our searchable Knowledge Hub.
Why Commission Us?
At the National FGM Centre, we pride ourselves on the quality and care of the services we provide to families, young people, and professionals. If you would be interested in finding out more about the services we offer, head to our ‘Commission Us’ section.
Commission us