Slough Safeguarding Children

Female genital mutilation FGM: Summer campaign.

As the summer school holidays approach, everyone in our community needs to be aware that some girls may be taken outside of the UK during the summer holidays to be "cut" with long lasting and sometimes devastating consequences for them.

FGM (cutting/suna/gudnin/l'excision) is illegal. We are most concerned to prevent girls from having this procedure done to them. The more people are aware of FGM and its harmful effects, the more likely we are to be able to recognise when families might be planning to have this done. When some families travel abroad, they may find it hard to resist pressures from relatives to have this procedure carried out on their girls, so right now we need to be alert to anything the girl or her parents may say that could give rise to concerns.

A girl at immediate risk of FGM may not know what's going to happen. But she might talk about or you may become aware of:

- a long holiday abroad or going 'home' to visit family and getting ready for marriage.
- relative or cutter visiting from abroad
- a special occasion or ceremony to 'become a woman'
- a female relative being cut – a sister, cousin, or an older female relative such as a mother or aunt.

Below resources to help those who work with children and families to raise awareness about this issue.

These resources help to challenge the myths and common misunderstandings about the practice.

This is a resources pack:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/female-genital-mutilation-resource-pack/female-genital-mutilation-resource-pack

This has user friendly information;

https://forwarduk.org.uk/key-issues/fgm/

Posters: POSTERS

STATEMENT OPPOSING FGM; FOR GIRLS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO SHOW ANYONE WHO IS TELLING THEM THEY SHOULD HAVE THIS DONE

Below a statement in English opposing FGM. Girls and their parents can take it abroad with them. It explains that FGM is illegal and why she cannot have the procedure done. It helps the family to resist the pressure from relatives especially when they visit them abroad.

English statement opposing FGM

Below the statement in various languages;

Below, a leaflet written by an IMAM and the Muslim council of Britain explaining that FGM is non Islamic.

Challenging the myths of FGM and ISLAM