New campaign calls on mothers and carers to end Female Genital Mutilation
2 Jun 2014 01:08 PM
New posters flag advice
and support to help communities protect girls and young women from Female
Genital Mutilation.
Home Secretary Theresa May has
announced a new poster campaign today which urges mothers and carers who
suspect a girl in their community is at risk of FGM to call the NSPCC’s
dedicated helpline for advice and support.Over 20,000 girls under the age of 15
could be at high risk of FGM in England and Wales each year with nearly 66,000
women having experienced FGM.
Announcing the new campaign,
Home Secretary Theresa May said:
FGM is illegal and it is child
abuse.
The government is absolutely
committed to tackling and preventing this harmful practice in order to
safeguard and protect all girls and women who may be at risk. It often results
in severe consequences for their physical and mental health and we must do
everything we can to eradicate it for good.
This campaign builds on an
intense effort underway across government. We understand better than ever
before the prevalence and distribution of what is often a hidden crime and we
are determined to see perpetrators brought to account in
court.
Help for
communities
The campaign is specifically
aimed at mothers and carers in Somali, Kenyan and Nigerian communities, which
have been identified as having a higher than average prevalence of FGM.
The posters will be placed on panels in washrooms in 17 London
boroughs and seven cities across England and Wales.
The posters will direct mothers
and carers to telephone the free, 24-hour NSPCC FGM helpline (0800 028 3550) if
they are suspicious a girl they know is at risk of having the procedure. The
helpline is available to anyone and people can report their suspicions of FGM
anonymously. They can also ask for advice and support if their own child is at
risk of FGM. The posters will also be sent to schools, GPs surgeries, police
stations and hospitals around the country so they can be displayed in staff
areas.
Crime Prevention Minister Norman
Baker said:
We need a complete cultural
change on FGM and we are working to support communities to abandon the practice
themselves.
Mothers have the power to stop
this happening to their daughters and the next generation. Through our new
campaign we want them - as well as anyone else who is concerned - to contact
the NSPCC FGM helpline if they believe their daughter or a girl they know is at
risk.
Political or cultural
sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing and uncovering this
terrible form of abuse. The law in this country applies to absolutely
everyone.
The campaign will run until
August in order to reach communities during the school holidays when most girls
are at risk.
NSPCC support
NSPCC Head of Child Protection
Operations John Cameron said:
FGM is a hidden crime and we
need to bring it out into the open if we are to end it.
Encouragingly, we have been
contacted by over 200 people since we launched our FGM helpline (0800 028 3550)
last year - but we believe this is just the tip of the iceberg and that
thousands of children may be vulnerable to this abuse.
This is why we have teamed up
with the Home Office on their campaign. We really want to encourage anyone who
has a concern to call us - it doesn’t matter if you’re not certain,
we’re here to talk things through and offer advice.
By working to together we are
sending out a strong message - FGM is child abuse and it needs to
stop.
To accompany the posters,
mothers will also be reached through online adverts on Facebook and Netmums,
which will direct them to the NSPCC website for support and
advice.
Support for
professionals
Online advertising will target
professionals such as doctors, teachers and midwives, reminding them of their
role in helping to prevent FGM and their duty to report it. Educational
materials, including factsheets on FGM, will be provided by the NSPCC, and on
GOV.UK. Messages will reinforce that FGM is child abuse and that it is
everyone’s duty to report it.
A free resource which includes a
DVD is also available on Gov.uk and the NSPCC’s website, or on request,
for members of these communities to discuss the issue among their friends and
family. The DVD features survivors of FGM, doctors and Kam Thandi from the
NSPCC FGM helpline, discussing the issue and warning mothers and carers of the
health dangers of the procedure.
The campaign is being funded
through the PROGRESS Programme of the European Union and the Home Office. Watch
the YouTube FGM educational
films.