Here at team VISU.AL , not only will we be keeping an eye on all trends and news in our capital city, London , we’ll be highlighting issues that we want to disseminate in order to continue to raise awareness, provide additional insight and maintain momentum via calls to action and social sharing.
A topically sensitive, yet disturbing subject generating a substantial amount of press coverage is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). FGM is concentrated in and around 27 countries in Africa, with over 125 million women and girls having experienced it in those concentrated areas. Large increases in net migration and a poor system of monitoring and control has led to an alarming rise in the numbers of FGM being practiced across Britain. Although outlawed or restricted in many of these countries, including here in the UK, the laws are poorly enforced.
A recent report published by City University in conjunction with Equality Now, shows that in the UK there has been an alarming rise in the numbers of FGM being practiced in England & Wales. Worryingly there has been an alarming increase in the number of women permanently residing in England and Wales, but born in FGM practising countries. An increase in 101, 000 since 2001. In 2011 alone it has been estimated that 60,000 girls living in the UK and aged 0-14, an age range at which FGM is most prevalent, were born to mothers who were victims of FGM.
These increases in numbers underlines an urgent need for plans to be in place to support women who have undergone FGM , to safe guard their daughters from undergoing it and to drive behavioural change to encourage communities to act to prevent FGM from being carried out any further.
Just before we created this infographic , an article published in the London Standard highlighted a sweeping legal reform that was just announced by the Government. Courts will be able to use new FGM protection orders to confiscate the passports of girls at risk of FGM , to stop them from being taken abroad , to carry out the procedure given that the practice is illegal in the UK.
A positive step in the right direction, but issues like this need to be continued to be highlighted and shared, so that they may be acted upon appropriately.
If you want to find out more about FGM, help or donate , please reach out to the following organisations:
Equality Now, Orchid Project, Desert Flower Foundation, Daughters of Eve, Forward, No Peace Without Justice, FGM-Hilfe, Federation Nationale GAMS, RISK
