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?

Belle you are deliberately misrepresenting what Pps have said. I don't really understand your points about sexism and boys tbh.

And again - currently, FGM is not required teaching at primary level so if you want to accuse anyone of ignoring girls at threat of fgm then try schools themselves. The OPs school themselves withdrew the lesson.

FGM needs to be taught. Did you know there’s been a recent rise of fundamentalist Christian groups advocating FGM, even in the U.K.?
If more girls know about it, they can help to protect their friends. I’m sure it’ll be treated appropriately for the age.

Boys/Men are the ones who expect FGM and are the ones that carry it out so if course if we are educating to eradicate then boys should be a focus.

Did you know there’s been a recent rise of fundamentalist Christian groups advocating FGM, even in the U.K

Evidence please

“Boys/Men are the ones who expect FGM and are the ones that carry it out“
Sadly wrong on both counts.

Stop saying girls need to do the protecting!!!! I am amazed you can't see how damaging this narrative is.

Pop I knew it was happening In USA, do you have any links about UK?

We have extreme Christian sects round here, they used to be in mainstream education but not any more.

Oh give over bertrand

What men want and expect is at the heart of this, and it is spectacularly wrong to suggest otherwise.

They aren't the ones who carry it out.

But absolutely it is done for them.

A PP said a man flew in and did it them flew off again. Unless that was just wild speculation

The aunties were involved as well

I think it's generally a job for the women

Not to say men never do it

However

It's done for men

So if my 8 year old has to have FGM explained to her so she can take on the responsibility of stopping it happening to a friend, then your 8 year old boy needs to be educated that expecting girls that he has sex with to have no clitoris is wrong.

This is the idea that it's a women's problrm that women do to each other and women should solve

No its a tool of patriarchal control and the people with the power to stop it are men. Our criminal justice system having some teeth on this would help.

But no
Don't talk to the boys about it
Wring hands about lack of convictions
What can be done?
Oh educate the girls that's the thing

I am not saying girls should not be educated but it feels like a cop out tbh there are other avenues that would yield more results but are not on the table. Young girls from the communities that practice this (like most/ all communities in the world) do not have a huge amount of power.

I was told about the Christian fgm in the UK by the school SENCO after she’d been on some training. It had been highlighted as a particular concern in predominantly white areas as people were largely ignored when conversations about fgm were taking place because they weren’t seen as needing to know as much as other groups.
She did bring some info back but I’m not sure if I’ve still got it. I’ll go and have a look.

Even if it being taught in every single school in the country means only one little girl isn’t cut then that’s worth your precious little princess getting a bit upset to me.
You don’t seem to be able to understand why it’s being taught but surely it’s worth a try? Maybe it’s not a foolproof solution but it’s better than doing nothing.

I really don't think it needs to be an either/or - educate everyone, boys and girls, men and women?

OP I agree. I wouldn't be keen on my daughter learning about this so early.

In a few years yes. But it makes no difference to her life or the lives of her peers now.

In some parts of the world male circumcision involves inverting the entire penis. I don't think primary kids need to learn about that either.

Also it opens a whole can of worms re double standards when it comes to male genital autonomy and female. A 9 year old is equipped to grapple with cultural relativism!

You are spectacularly missing the point @Fibbke

We aren’t asking girls to be responsible for stopping it. We are telling them that they don’t have to go through with it and busting the myths they are told about it. This is to empower to know that they can alert someone at school to step in on their behalf.

And this is only part of the work being done on FGM. Of course there is other work going on in the wider community. This is just one aspect.

So no one is asking an eight year old to be responsible. It is telling those frightened eight year olds who know this is in their future that it doesn’t have to happen to them and letting them know there are people there to support them.

I cannot quite fathom why anyone who wanted to end FGM would object to this aim.

@DuploTower

By Yr 9 most girls have been cut already. Should we wait so that you can feel better about your daughter learning about them? It defeats the point of the exercise. Remove your child for that lesson but don’t stop a project that is supposed to help find and support possible victims.

I don't believe general early education will make any difference to the rate of FGM. Plenty of girls dont want it already but they are forced to go through it. Telling their parents it is wrong wont make a blind bit of difference.

But telling a friend or a teacher might

And will also make life unbearable for them at home.

Are their actual cases of girls refusing to have FGM, standing up against their parents?

I couldn't understand your comment belle

'particular concern in predominantly white areas as people were largely ignored when conversations about fgm were taking'

So the whole of England, Scotland and Wales.

I would really like to see evidence that this is gaining traction in UK christian communities that are educated in mainstream schools.

We have a fair amount of fundamental religious groups of different flavours round here including Christian, the christian ones have their own schools now. Which groups is this? I know it is happening in USA but not heard of it here plus issues in engaging if they not in mainstream education. There are issues with state funded religious schools round here which are more fundamental these are v hard to address.

@Fibbke

If a child comes to a teacher to tell us they are in danger if FGM or the school suspects that a child is being removed to another country to undergo FGM then we alter the police and social services. It is an illegal activity and the child would be removed from the home. It is classed as a child being in imminent danger of harm.

The benefit of early out reach is that you can catch as many girls as possible before they undergo the procedure or are ‘cut’. That means before the clitoris and labia are cut off them in a procedure that doesn’t often involve anaesthetic.

Don’t you think it’s worth reaching out to eight year old girls before this happens to them, not after?