Reviewed on : 17 May 2021

Reviewed by : Gateway Editor

Expires : 17 May 2023

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Practising FGM in the UK has been a criminal offence since 1985.

The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 repealed and re-enacted the provisions of the 1985 Act and revised it to set the maximum penalty for FGM to 14 years’ imprisonment and make it a criminal offence for UK nationals or permanent UK residents to:

• Perform FGM overseas
• Take a UK national or permanent UK resident overseas to have FGM
• Arrange for someone to come from overseas to the UK to perform FGM

One Minute Guide to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Click on image below for printable download link

Further Information About Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Practising FGM in the UK has been a criminal offence since 1985.

The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 repealed and re-enacted the provisions of the 1985 Act and revised it to set the maximum penalty for FGM to 14 years’ imprisonment and make it a criminal offence for UK nationals or permanent UK residents to:

• Perform FGM overseas
• Take a UK national or permanent UK resident overseas to have FGM
• Arrange for someone to come from overseas to the UK to perform FGM

The law changed in October 2015, making mandatory reporting of FGM directly to the police, if:

• They are informed by a girl under the age of 18 that she has undergone an act of FGM  or
• They observe physical signs that an act of FGM may have been carried out on a girl under the age of 18.

The duty does not apply where a woman over the age of 18 discloses she had FGM when she was under 18.The duty only applies in cases where the victim discloses.

If someone else, such as a parent or guardian, discloses that a girl under 18 has had FGM, a report to the police is not mandatory. However, in these circumstances disclosures should still be handled in line with wider safeguarding responsibilities.

Complying with the duty does not breach any confidentiality requirement which might otherwise apply.

Professionals should make the report as soon after the case has been discovered. Best practice is within 1 working day, but in exceptional cases there is a maximum timeframe of 1 month from when the discovery is made.

How to report FGM case?

Please right link to access the ‘FGM Training Package for NHS Organisations’.

For support in decision making around child protection cases contact the designated nurses for child protection 02476 246019.

If there is no immediate danger or you need advice or information, you should call the Referral and Assessment Service on 024 7678 8555.

Referral

General Gynaecology Clinic

Mrs Supriya Bulchandani MBBS, DGO, DFFP, MRCOG

Consultant Obstetrics & Gynaecology (Sub-Specialist Urogynaecology)

Clinical Lead for Urogynaecology

University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire

Antenatal & Obstetric Clinic

Dr Vandana Dhingra MBBS MRCOG PhD

Consultant Maternal Medicine & Paediatric Adolescent Gynaecology

Obstetrics & Gynaecology

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire

Useful Links

FGM Protection Orders:  https://www.gov.uk/female-genital-mutilation-protection-order

Petals App

UK’Ss first FGM web app was created by Coventry University and is a web based (not mobile) app resource for young people, explaining what FGM is, with facts, info, answers to a range of FAQs, case studies of young people who speak out against FGM and a glossary to help young girls understand words they may not have seen before.

It also provides info on how to access the app confidentially, the app is as untraceable as possible. There is also a professional’s version.

Petals app for young people: http://petals.coventry.ac.uk/

Petals app for professionals: http://petals.coventry.ac.uk/professionals/

Contacts

Coventry Haven Women’s Aid FGM Project Telephone: 02476 444077 (Monday – Friday 9am-4.30pm) or 0800 111 4998 (Monday-Friday 8.30am – 5pm, 10am -1 pm Saturday-Sunday)

Website: https://www.coventryhaven.co.uk

Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC)

Telephone : 02476 277777

Website: http://www.crasac.org.uk Or visit http://www.safetotalk.org.uk