Oh my word....

[Creampastry]

Just listening to the radio and hear that every hour a female is treated at a medical facility (doctors, hospital etc) in the U.K. for FGM....

I assume the majority will be girls and young women .... but 1 every hour.... it's disgraceful.

[TheWrathFromHighAtopTheThing]

And, despite it being illegal, nobody gets prosecuted.

[averylongtimeago]

The only way to stop this revolting medieval practise is to prosecute the people who do it and those who have it done to their children. There should be zero tolerance.

[Boulshired]

It's catch 22, would they stop from fear of persecution or would they just stop the females being allowed treatment at medical facilities.

[Boulshired]

Prosecution not persecution

[Boofeckinghoo]

Dear lord, one an hour.

[Prawnofthepatriarchy]

It's horrible. Prosecution is hard, I think, because the people who would get prosecuted would be the parents, more likely the mothers as it's they who arrange it, escort the child, etc. Thing is, according to their culture, FGM is essential and it's one of the things a loving parent does for a child. They may not even know it's against the law or, if they do, just think people don't understand. So apart from the little matter of FGM (sarcasm) they are otherwise loving parents.

I can see the dilemma. If the parents are jailed, and it is too serious for a fine, who looks after the child? A childhood in care is appalling, and sets kids up for a life of wretched dysfunction. Do you put a kid in the position where, on top of having gone through FGM, they suddenly lose one or both parents and everything they hold dear?

Perhaps they could do deals with the parents: we won't prosecute if you co-operate with us to convict whoever carried out the procedure? I dunno. It's so disheartening.

Still, I'm sure someone will turn up with better ideas (brightening).

[toffeeboffin]

Prosecute the doctors instead?

[luckylucky24]

Sorry to be dumb...what is FGM?

[NotAQueef]

female genital mutilation lucky

[SaorAlbaGuBrath]

One an hour? That's beyond horrific. Why is nobody ever prosecuted? Parents/doctors etc?

[luckylucky24]

Oh dear god that is awful. How is this happening in the UK?

[Losgunna]

Perhaps not prosecute the parents but prosecute the practitioners.
Anyone performing fgm gets jail time with zero tolerance.perhaps that would put people off?

But then the parents take the girls out of the country for it so I really don't know what the answer is.

It is heartbreaking though.

[PerspicaciaTick]

Can you clarify please?

Is one woman or girl an hour being treated by UK doctors to repair or deal with the aftermath of FGM?
Or are you saying that FGM is being inflicted on women and girls in the UK at the rate of one an hour?

[HerRoyalFattyness]

It's awful. I had to research FGM for an assignment. those poor girls. We should be prosecuting the doctors that agree to do this.

[Grittyshunts]

That is horrendous, and those are the girls being treated! How many girls/parents don't seek medical help?! The parents should be prosecuted as should the sick bastards carrying out the "procedure" but then I suppose one could argue/agree that non-medical male circumcision is MGM?

[HerRoyalFattyness]

but then I suppose one could argue/agree that non-medical male circumcision is MGM?
I would argue that it is.

[savagehk]

Is it for recently performed FGM or women presenting in later life (eg pregnancy) with complications?

As for prosecuting doctors, I thought generally girls were removed to another country for this to be performed?

[Itisnoteasybeingdifferent]

Chalk it up to multicultural idelogy.

If a white parent burned their child with a hot poker, that parent would be prosecuted. But this is a cultural idea from a foreign land. Therefore we must respect the rights of people to abuse their children.

Yes it is "illegal" but until parents are being jailed the authorities are effectively condoning it.

[araiwa]

i think that both male and female circumcision should be made illegal until 18 years old apart from rare medical need and then it should be done by trained doctors in hospital

[DJBaggySmalls]

''This means a woman or girl has their case recorded by the NHS for the first time, although in many cases they will have been cut some years before but it has not come to the attention of doctors sooner''

''Avon and Somerset Police has led use of FGM protection orders (FGMPO) nationally. The orders were brought in to protect potential victims. It has applied for 10 FGMPOs since July 2015, when legislation was brought in.''

(Not quite the tolerance the right would like you to believe exists.)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38878298

[glitterazi]

That's beyond awful. Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is the reasoning behind it being done? I know it's cultural, but on what planet could that ever be seen as acceptable?! It's barbaric.

[HerRoyalFattyness]

I thought generally girls were removed to another country for this to be performed?

Generally they are.
But there needs to be more done to stop the parents leaving to have it performed on the child. I don't know what, but it can't be allowed to happen.

[Out2pasture]

I believe they include piercings as FGM.
I expect long term complications from most procedures so UTI's, bacterial infections etc.

[DJBaggySmalls]

Once a potential victim has been identified, the police make a protection order to prevent the parents taking the girl out of the country.

[DJBaggySmalls]

Piercing are counted if the staff feel the context is abusive.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/women-with-vaginal-piercings-will-be-recorded-as-suffering-fgm-under-new-nhs-rules-10116464.html