Failure to protect girls from FGM is 'ongoing national scandal', MPs say

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:39 am

The failure of successive governments to protect vulnerable girls from female genital mutilation is an "ongoing national scandal", according to a report by MPs published on Thursday.
The cross-party Commons home affairs select committee calls for schools to lose funding if their headteachers do not read guidance issued earlier this year following a Guardian campaign.
After hearing from victims, health and social workers, police and lawyers the MPs also said there was a case for emulating the French model by checking up regularly on at-risk children,but they stopped short of endorsing mandatory gynaecological checks. It is estimated that 24,000 girls under the age of 15 are at risk of female genital mutilation in the UK.
Keith Vaz, the committee's Labour chairman, said victims had been badly let down. "FGM is an ongoing national scandal which is likely to have resulted in the preventable mutilation of thousands of girls to whom the state owed a duty of care," he said.
"Successive governments, politicians, the police, health, education and social care sectors should all share responsibility for the failure in recent years to respond adequately to the growing prevalence of FGM in the UK."
The MPs welcomed the decision taken by the education secretary,Michael Gove, to write to all schools in England and Wales warning them of the dangers of FGM, after a Guardian-backed petition attracted more than 230,000 signatures this year.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/03/female-genital-mutilation-failure-protect-girls-national-scandal-mp-report

Excellent idea, I also think something should also happen to GP's and Hospitals who fail to notify the authorities also

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:45 am

I agree, and more power to the elbow of the very brave women who are confronting this and talking about it.

FORWARD started a campaign back in 2005:

End FGM Campaign
FORWARD is committed to the campaign to END FGM
For Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to be successfully addressed and abandoned, it must be tackled on 3 levels:

Advocacy
Intervention programmes
Sensitive service provision.

These represent the three levels of FORWARD's ongoing campaign to END FGM. In 2005, FORWARD re-launched the campaign with the UK premiere screening of Moolaade - an African film about women's grass roots resistance to FGM in an African village setting. At this spectacular event, held at the Renoir Cinema in London, FORWARD announced the launch of a unique FGM FUND, the proceeds of which will help FORWARD and its partners to:
Accelerate action to eliminate FGM in the UK by:

Raising wider awareness of FGM and developing an international advocacy campaign
Building an evidence base to support advocacy activities
Mainstreaming FGM activities into the policy and practice of the statutory and voluntary sectors
Developing a comprehensive approach to FGM prevention education
Researching and developing evidence to inform and disseminate best practice on FGM
Integrating prevention education into community programmes
Collaborate with key stakeholders within UK and Europe

http://www.forwarduk.org.uk/campaigns/end-fgm

It's still fighting.

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:53 am

yup, and it will remain a problem untill the wet letteuce brigade decide what they want...

they have a problem....

thye want this stopped as do we all

BUT

they are sh*t scared of upsetting the "sensitivities" of those groups they know pose the most serious problem

just like every other such problem we have

.

EASY....every girl belonging to an at risk group gets the necessary medical examination at least once a year (preferably every term)

with massive penaties for any defaulters ......

and massive penaties to the parents id it happens.....with no "excuses about "it happened whilst we were on holiday it musy have been a relative"

Literally being a parent with charge of a child who has had this done will jail you for 20 years.......

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:58 am

You know what stops it happening the most Victor, the preconceived idea that it is only Muslims and that it is men that do it. The largest number are from Africa, Christians included and the people that perform it are mostly women. If people stopped worrying about the race and worried about the girls something would get done. Women with African origin are the ones in the most danger.

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:02 am

Sassy wrote:You know what stops it happening the most Victor, the preconceived idea that it is only Muslims. The largest number are from Africa, Christians included. If people stopped worrying about the race and worried about the women something would get done. Women with African origin are the ones in the most danger.

I did say "problem groups" sassy.....

But still...we mustnt upset their "sensitivity" must we

even more so that of the Muslims...I have no doubt what will happen even given that such a firm stance was taken.....

certain "groups" would be exempted....all in the name of "sensitivity" of course....

NO I mean ALL groups at risk.......

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:03 am

victorisnotamused wrote:yup, and it will remain a problem untill the wet letteuce brigade decide what they want...
they have a problem....
thye want this stopped as do we all
BUT
they are sh*t scared of upsetting the "sensitivities" of those groups they know pose the most serious problem
just like every other such problem we have
EASY....every girl belonging to an at risk group gets the necessary medical examination at least once a year (preferably every term)
with massive penaties for any defaulters ......
and massive penaties to the parents id it happens.....with no "excuses about "it happened whilst we were on holiday it musy have been a relative"
Literally being a parent with charge of a child who has had this done will jail you for 20 years.......

Sorry but that is over the top on sensitivities as per usual
I disagree on penalties, that does not send a clear enough message, if they are foreign parents and have broken the law, then like any other criminal they lose their right to reside in the UK.
The constraints of the law make it difficult to prosecute and agree on medical every year, though you will have to ensure this is full proof and falsified medical reports are not a factor.
The difficult has always been mainly because the crime has not been committed in the UK

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:04 am

victorisnotamused wrote:
Sassy wrote:You know what stops it happening the most Victor, the preconceived idea that it is only Muslims. The largest number are from Africa, Christians included. If people stopped worrying about the race and worried about the women something would get done. Women with African origin are the ones in the most danger.
I did say "problem groups" sassy.....

But still...we mustnt upset their "sensitivity" must we

even more so that of the Muslims...I have no doubt what will happen even given that such a firm stance was taken.....

certain "groups" would be exempted....all in the name of "sensitivity" of course....

NO I mean ALL groups at risk.......

All girls should be examined by a doctor when they start school, it won't be nice for them, but it would help like hell, and African and Muslim women are calling for it to happen.

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:10 am

Solidarity Against Female Genital Mutilation

by Irfan Al-Alawi
Gatestone Institute
May 7, 2014

Late in March, British authorities undertook their first prosecutions against female genital mutilation, which has been prohibited in the United Kingdom since 2003. As revealed by BBC News on March 21, "Dr. Dhanuson Dharmasena, 31, of Ilford, east London, will be prosecuted for an alleged offence while working at the Whittington Hospital in London. Hasan Mohamed, 40, of Holloway, north London, faces a charge of intentionally encouraging female genital mutilation."

The two accused appeared in Westminster Magistrates' Court on April 15, were granted bail, and ordered to present themselves at Southwark Crown Court on May 2. According to the BBC, director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders said the Crown Prosecution Service was asked by the Metropolitan Police to examine allegations that "following a patient giving birth in November 2012, a doctor at the Whittington Hospital repaired female genital mutilation that had previously been performed on the woman, allegedly carrying out female genital mutilation himself."

Ms. Saunders said, "Having carefully considered all the available evidence, I have determined there is sufficient evidence and it would be in the public interest to prosecute Dr. Dhanuson Dharmasena for an offence contrary to (Section) 1 (1) of the Female Genital Mutilation Act (2003).

"I have also determined that Hasan Mohamed should face one charge of intentionally encouraging an offence of FGM, contrary to section 44 (1) of the Serious Crime Act (2007), and a second charge of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring Dr. Dharmasena to commit an offence contrary to (Section) 1 (1) of the Female Genital Mutilation Act (2003)."

The relevant section of the British law declares, "A person is guilty of an offence if he excises, infibulates or otherwise mutilates the whole or any part of a girl's labia majora, labia minora or clitoris."

Reportage on the London indictments by the local Islington Tribune specified that Mohamed "is charged with encouraging the doctor to repair pre-existing FGM on a female patient at Whittington Hospital after she gave birth there."

Britain has taken an important step in enforcing, after more than 10 years, its regulation against FGM, an atrocious practice that is often alleged to be Islamic. Even some radical clerics who defend the custom, such as the Qatar-based hate preacher Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, admit that support for FGM is based on unreliable, "weak" precedents in Islamic law. Al-Qaradawi argues that the brutal imposition of FGM is acceptable if desired by parents. But he notes, "women in Islamic nations lived for centuries without circumcision being a concern, as it did not exist."

Although FGM is associated often with Islam, it is found commonly in non-Muslim areas of Africa and among immigrants to the West from that region. Muslims should take the initiative in opposing FGM; campaigns against this violation of women's rights are underway already in several Muslim lands.

The best known such effort has taken place in Iraqi Kurdistan. In a recent interview, Thomas von der Osten-Sacken, who is affiliated with WADI, an Iraqi-German organization supporting human rights and civil society in the Middle East, described the beginning of the Kurdistan campaign. Von der Osten-Sacken recounted, "Following the toppling of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, mobile teams we organized [went to] various Kurdish villages and towns to offer medical services. One year later, women started approaching the team members about having been cut… It was a taboo to discuss but… we started helping women in 35 villages." The Kurdistan anti-FGM movement gained attention in media.

In 2011, the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq made FGM a crime, and interviewer Heidi Basch-Harod states that FGM "in Iraqi Kurdistan has significantly decreased, from 90 percent to zero percent in some areas. Nevertheless, the practice has not disappeared."

In neighboring Iran, researcher Rayeyeh Mozafarian, of the University of Shiraz, conducted interviews about FGM there between 2007 and 2009. In her work, which she was permitted recently to publish, she explained, "why FGM is carried out in private houses by midwives and not by surgeons in hospitals." Iranian law does not mention FGM, but does punish mutilation of the body. Yet Mozafarian found, "Despite the practice being liable to prosecution, practically nobody is charged… No victim files charges against her own parents." Women cut as adults "accept the mutilation as a religious necessity as demanded by local religious authorities." Since such women are liable to have their daughters' genitals cut, Mozafarian has called for a public appeal by Iranian women to end FGM.

Coinciding with the United Nations-sponsored International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, which was observed on February 6, 2014, Y – Pulse of Oman, an English-language news portal, disclosed that while FGM is banned in hospitals in Oman, a sultanate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula aligned in foreign affairs with Iran, it "is being carried out on babies and young girls" across the country. Although FGM is illegal in Egypt and Somalia, high rates are well-known in both.

The Omani source, perhaps unintentionally, admitted the ineffectiveness of the UN on this issue, as on so many other problems. Y – Pulse of Oman contributor Kate Ginn wrote, "On December 20, 2012 the United Nations General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution calling for an end to the practice of FGM, describing it as a 'serious threat to the health of women and girls.' The UN does not, however, have any legal power to enforce a ban."

FGM in Oman has been studied by another valiant figure, Habiba Al-Hinai, who has completed a statistical overview of the problem locally. "FGM constitutes a widespread phenomenon in Oman in all age groups," Al-Hinai said. "The results (of the study) shocked me. Being an Omani, I didn't realize how prevalent it is."

Al-Hinai added, "We are not just talking about rural areas and uneducated women. It is happening everywhere, even in [the Omani capital] Muscat, and educated, cultured women support it. ... Yet no one wants to talk about it. It's still a taboo subject."

With Britain appearing to have delayed its application of the anti-FGM law for a decade, and the UN unreliable, the fight against FGM is being carried by women activists in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iran, Oman and elsewhere. They deserve effective solidarity by every moderate Muslim and every non-Muslim concerned for human dignity. Let the silence surrounding FGM be broken.

[Updates: In London, Dr. Dharmasena and Hasan Mohamed returned to court on May 2, and Mohamed was then identified in the local Ilford Recorder as the victim's husband. The newspaper also reported that Dr. Dharmasena was suspended by the General Medical Council, a UK professional body, last month.

[The defendants were ordered by a local judge to come back to court for a plea and case management hearing on June 27.

[On April 29, BBC News disclosed that UK police are planning a summer operation to prevent travel by girls residing in Britain from travelling to foreign countries for FGM. Details of the police effort remain confidential. BBC News pointed out that France has adopted "mandatory examination of school girls" if the young women are considered at risk of suffering FGM.]

http://www.islamicpluralism.org/2379/solidarity-against-female-genital-mutilation

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:00 am

we are a multicultural society remember lefties??

you imported this barbarism elevated it to the equal of British culture and then persecuted anyone and everyone who protested against it

do not pretend that you are suddenly bothered by it now

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:02 am

smelly_bandit wrote:we are a multicultural society remember lefties??

you imported this barbarism elevated it to the equal of British culture and then persecuted anyone and everyone who protested against it

do not pretend that you are suddenly bothered by it now

Yes a multicultural society with over a hundred different ethnic groups, not all people practice this barbaric act, but as seen you always fall short on logic.

I mean we had also people like you a far right hate preacher imported, we need to do as we do with Islamic ones and have you deported for preaching hate, funny that!

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:18 am

Stop being racist - if they want to do it because of their culture, who the hell are you to tell them they can't!

Embrace this multiculturalism we have been given!

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:24 am

BigAndy9 wrote:Stop being racist - if they want to do it because of their culture, who the hell are you to tell them they can't!

Embrace this multiculturalism we have been given!

Failure to protect girls from FGM is 'ongoing national scandal', MPs say Normal10

by The Puzzler Thu Jul 03, 2014 10:29 am

Didge wrote:The failure of successive governments to protect vulnerable girls from female genital mutilation is an "ongoing national scandal", according to a report by MPs published on Thursday.
The cross-party Commons home affairs select committee calls for schools to lose funding if their headteachers do not read guidance issued earlier this year following a Guardian campaign.
After hearing from victims, health and social workers, police and lawyers the MPs also said there was a case for emulating the French model by checking up regularly on at-risk children,but they stopped short of endorsing mandatory gynaecological checks. It is estimated that 24,000 girls under the age of 15 are at risk of female genital mutilation in the UK.
Keith Vaz, the committee's Labour chairman, said victims had been badly let down. "FGM is an ongoing national scandal which is likely to have resulted in the preventable mutilation of thousands of girls to whom the state owed a duty of care," he said.
"Successive governments, politicians, the police, health, education and social care sectors should all share responsibility for the failure in recent years to respond adequately to the growing prevalence of FGM in the UK."
The MPs welcomed the decision taken by the education secretary,Michael Gove, to write to all schools in England and Wales warning them of the dangers of FGM, after a Guardian-backed petition attracted more than 230,000 signatures this year.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/03/female-genital-mutilation-failure-protect-girls-national-scandal-mp-report

Excellent idea, I also think something should also happen to GP's and Hospitals who fail to notify the authorities also

We can blame the fear of upsetting the Muslim community for this, and the grooming gangs scandal being brushed under the carpet for so many years. That, and the fact that people can be locked up for putting bacon outside a mosque, yet a hate preacher can publicly declare that all infidels should wear red collars and shave our heads and the police do jack shit.

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:55 am

I don't know anything of this FGM, but it sounds so wrong and cruel.

by SEXY MAMA Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:13 pm

Bravo to all those women who are talking about it and trying to get this eradicated.

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:15 pm

SEXY MAMA wrote:Bravo to all those women who are talking about it and trying to get this eradicated.

And to think some here still have you down as a hardcore Taliban SM ::smthg::

by SEXY MAMA Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:17 pm

Joy Division wrote:
SEXY MAMA wrote:Bravo to all those women who are talking about it and trying to get this eradicated.

And to think some here still have you down as a hardcore Taliban SM ::smthg::

Lol. Having an Afghan ethnicity can do wonders !!!!!!!!! pale

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:23 pm

SEXY MAMA wrote:
Joy Division wrote:

And to think some here still have you down as a hardcore Taliban SM ::smthg::

Lol. Having an Afghan ethnicity can do wonders !!!!!!!!!

I think some would still think that if your were of Japanese descendency SM

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:00 pm

SEXY MAMA wrote:
Joy Division wrote:

And to think some here still have you down as a hardcore Taliban SM ::smthg::

Lol. Having an Afghan ethnicity can do wonders !!!!!!!!!

thought you were supposed to be white with blonde hair and blue eyes

liar alert folks!!!!!!!!!!!

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:05 pm

smelly_bandit wrote:
SEXY MAMA wrote:

Lol. Having an Afghan ethnicity can do wonders !!!!!!!!!

thought you were supposed to be white with blonde hair and blue eyes

liar alert folks!!!!!!!!!!!

She's got brown hair and dark eyes.

You know it, we all know it and she knew it when she was constantly lying on other forums.

Lawyer indeed! lol

by SEXY MAMA Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:07 pm

I am a Pathan.

Best you guys educate yourself on it.

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:10 pm

SEXY MAMA wrote:I am a Pathan.

Best you guys educate yourself on it.

Hi BigM darling.

Why should we ejumicate ourselves in all things pathan?

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:30 pm

BigAndy9 wrote:
smelly_bandit wrote:

thought you were supposed to be white with blonde hair and blue eyes

liar alert folks!!!!!!!!!!!

She's got brown hair and dark eyes.

You know it, we all know it and she knew it when she was constantly lying on other forums.

Lawyer indeed! lol

hey BA....would you like to guess this guys "origin"???

Failure to protect girls from FGM is 'ongoing national scandal', MPs say Sample10

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:35 pm

victorisnotamused wrote:
BigAndy9 wrote:

She's got brown hair and dark eyes.

You know it, we all know it and she knew it when she was constantly lying on other forums.

Lawyer indeed! lol

hey BA....would you like to guess this guys "origin"???

Dunno - Indian/Pakistani?

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:36 pm

You gonna tell me he was born and bred in Cornwall now aren't you?

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:42 pm

you only guessed that in context of the thread......

he is a Pathan...and if you are honest you would agree that actually he looks more grecian than anything...

which is hardly surprising considering the pathan heritage....

and Yes pathans do have blone haired blue eyed members as well......

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:48 pm

victorisnotamused wrote:you only guessed that in context of the thread......

he is a Pathan...and if you are honest you would agree that actually he looks more grecian than anything...

which is hardly surprising considering the pathan heritage....

and Yes pathans do have blone haired blue eyed members as well......

Context of the thread?? What blumming context?

He looks Indian, end of story lol

Blonde haired blue eyed lmao

by Ben Reilly Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:51 pm

victorisnotamused wrote:
BigAndy9 wrote:
smelly_bandit wrote:

thought you were supposed to be white with blonde hair and blue eyes

liar alert folks!!!!!!!!!!!

She's got brown hair and dark eyes.

You know it, we all know it and she knew it when she was constantly lying on other forums.

Lawyer indeed! lol

hey BA....would you like to guess this guys "origin"???

If I didn't see "Kasuri" on the sign I'd have gone with Mexican Smile

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:54 pm

BigAndy9 wrote:
victorisnotamused wrote:you only guessed that in context of the thread......

he is a Pathan...and if you are honest you would agree that actually he looks more grecian than anything...

which is hardly surprising considering the pathan heritage....

and Yes pathans do have blone haired blue eyed members as well......

Context of the thread?? What blumming context?

He looks Indian, end of story lol

Blonde haired blue eyed lmao

obviously one cant educate pork....... Rolling Eyes

by SEXY MAMA Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:57 pm

Victor thanks
X

You have seem my pic on speakfree

by SEXY MAMA Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:58 pm

victorisnotamused wrote:
BigAndy9 wrote:

Context of the thread?? What blumming context?

He looks Indian, end of story lol

Blonde haired blue eyed lmao

obviously one cant educate pork.......

Read my sig......

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:59 pm

Yes SM and that picture was verified was it not by a number of others.....

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:01 pm

BigM, we have all seen your pic, and it was way before spekkensfrei ever existed.

by SEXY MAMA Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:03 pm

victorisnotamused wrote:Yes SM and that picture was verified was it not by a number of others.....

Indeed

By all the mods

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:03 pm

Now, what was that new rule that Ben put up today?

by SEXY MAMA Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:05 pm

Let's not all gang up on poor moi....

Lolololol

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:06 pm

SEXY MAMA wrote:
victorisnotamused wrote:Yes SM and that picture was verified was it not by a number of others.....

Indeed

By all the mods

lol how do people verify a picture?

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:07 pm

SEXY MAMA wrote:Let's not all gang up on poor moi....

Lolololol

Bless 'em, get two ratty men together and they turn into a pack (you are not included in that Victor lol)

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:08 pm

Sassy wrote:
SEXY MAMA wrote:Let's not all gang up on poor moi....

Lolololol

Bless 'em, get two ratty men together and they turn into a pack (you are not included in that Victor lol)

So errrm... who are the two ratty men then? lol

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:09 pm

You and Smelly, if you look upwards you will find his post.

by SEXY MAMA Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:11 pm

Sassy wrote:
SEXY MAMA wrote:Let's not all gang up on poor moi....

Lolololol

Bless 'em, get two ratty men together and they turn into a pack (you are not included in that Victor lol)

No don't b silly lol

I have always liked Victor Wink

by SEXY MAMA Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:13 pm

Gota go have to open my fast>>>>>>>

X

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:14 pm

BigAndy9 wrote:
SEXY MAMA wrote:

Indeed

By all the mods

lol how do people verify a picture?

by personally meeting the subject???

brains aint your greatest asset are they???

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:14 pm

SEXY MAMA wrote:Gota go have to open my fast>>>>>>>

X

Mmmmm...

Bacon butties!

by Ben Reilly Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:15 pm

BigAndy, I know I've asked you this before, but why do you have such an obsession with SexyMama?

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:16 pm

BigAndy9 wrote:
SEXY MAMA wrote:Gota go have to open my fast>>>>>>>

X

Mmmmm...

Bacon butties!

you sir, are a boor

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:17 pm

A Boor and a Bore, and Smelly is A Boor and a Bore and a Boer!

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:18 pm

hmmmm.....

these two are the same

boor>< boer..or at least share the same linguistic root.....

by Guest Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:20 pm

Ben_Reilly wrote:BigAndy, I know I've asked you this before, but why do you have such an obsession with SexyMama?

And i have answered.

Look around the forum.

by Ben Reilly Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:21 pm

BigAndy9 wrote:
Ben_Reilly wrote:BigAndy, I know I've asked you this before, but why do you have such an obsession with SexyMama?

And i have answered.

Look around the forum.

I don't recall getting a direct answer from you on that question. Would you mind?

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