FGM on year 5 school curriculum

[MermaidMummy]

I'm really not sure if I'm being unreasonable, so I'm interested in everyone's thoughts.
My 9-year-old's class has just started learning about puberty. We have been told that the next lesson will cover terminology such as erection, sperm and female genital mutilation.
I just don't get why they need to learn about FGM at 9 years old. Some of these kids are very "young" for their age, and mine is very sensitive (won't watch the news in case an "adult topic" crops up).
What is the rationale for teaching this in year 5? There is nobody in the class from a cultural background likely to carry out FGM, but even if there was, would a 9 year-old know that it might happen to them and inform a teacher (if that is the rationale for teaching it)? From what I have read they aren't told anything about it in advance. If it has already happened to them, what is the benefit of bringing it up in class? Couldn't it be damaging and stigmatising?

“Campaigner Nimco Ali, who is the director of the charity Daughters of Eve, said: “Education is the key to ending FGM. We need to empower young people with the knowledge not only to know what is right and wrong, but the rights they have to be safe.

“As a child I had no idea FGM was illegal, I just knew it was painful. It took me years to piece together what happened to me and why I felt the way I did about it.

“Had I been given the education now being introduced, I would have been able to support those in my family to understand, and prevent other girls from being cut.”

Very sad it's come to this. I feel like we're being forced backwards not forwards with the lowest common denominator. And it's only going to get worse.
Op, you are not being unreasonable.

@isabellaLinton - I would have thought education about FGM would be absolutely vital at your dd’s school......

It is not all about your precious darling OP

Ah well, I’ll be that parent then, and happily so.

This is akin to 'why does my child need to know about poverty, we're well off' 'why do they need to know about racism, we're white', continue ad infinitum. Tunnel vision is where bigotry and narrow mindedness come from. Well it doesn't directly affect me so I will just ignore it.

@BertrandRussell

Other parents can make their decisions, I’ll make mine.

You're child isn't the only child in the class!

BertrandRussell
But would she have been able to prevent it? Much like many types of abuse within families, it becomes the norm. Children suffer all sorts of abuse at the hands of their parents, yet accept it as normal. They don't figure it out until adulthood even if they know that it's wrong.

If you continue to supervise your children's education in this way it is likely your future will hold some hand wringing shocks. No harm will come to your daughter from having this knowledge. Harm may well come to others if they don't have it.

You're child isn't the only child in the class!
No, and I'm not the only parent concerned about the content of the lessons. When we had a meeting at school about the sex ed lessons this was not mentioned.

If there were groups of people out there going around cutting off children's fingers you would warn your child and tell them what to do if it happened to them or someone they know. How is this different? It's education. It will not be graphic or traumatic. Just facts. This happens, it's illegal, here's what to do if you think this is being done to you or someone you know and you want help. YABU. Speak to your daughter.

They don't figure it out until adulthood even if they know that it's wrong.

Exactly! Which is why they need school to tell them it's wrong! 🙄

This is akin to 'why does my child need to know about poverty, we're well off' 'why do they need to know about racism, we're white', continue ad infinitum.

No it isn't! My isdue is that I think 9 is too young to be discussing FGM in what is supposed to be a gentle introduction to puberty.

Absolutely Zippy.

Clearly, ignorance is bliss.

Your child already knows she has genitalia OP!

What about rape, incest, murder, abduction, mental abuse, physical abuse...etc. They aren't, as far as I know, being taught about these things.

You have a big shock coming in secondary school

My child is mixed ethnicity. This has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with her age. These are kids that play with cuddly toys and cry at a pinprick of blood or the mere mention of impending periods!

they're going to learn about being held down and cut in their privates with a razor blade and no anaesthesia so that they will be unable to feel sexual pleasure?

I imagine that this is absolutely not how it will be taught. They’re not going to terrify the kids by talking about being sliced with razor blades (in the same way that a lesson about consent would not include graphic descriptions of rape).

If you know your child will be taught about it then other parents will know too. That might be the push a parent needs to tell grandparents/other family or culture members that it's impossible to get their daughter cut.

You have a big shock coming in secondary school

No, I'd expect these to be raught in secondary school, not primary.

I hate this idea that ignorance and innocence are the same thing. They manage to educate children about sexual abuse and rape without going into all the graphic details- they will do the same for FGM. And it might save some girls from going through it.

Exactly Oddboots. OP is missing the much bigger picture here.

But how will learning about it prevent it from happening to a child who has no idea that it might happen to them?

A girl in the class who has already had fgm done to her might have a younger sister or maybe cousin etc who is at risk. The child in class will know know it’s wrong and that there are people they can go to for help if they’re worried about it happening to someone else.

Aibu?
Yes
No I'm not...

MeredithGrey1

I imagine that this is absolutely not how it will be taught. They’re not going to terrify the kids by talking about being sliced with razor blades (in the same way that a lesson about consent would not include graphic descriptions of rape).

So how is a sugar coated version going to benefit the kids everyone is saying will benefit from learning about it?

Kids learn that drinking alcohol and raking drugs are wrong. Unless they are shown the realities of it then it doesn't stop them from experimenting with it.