‘Do No Harm’ Lived Experiences and Impacts of the UK’s FGM Safeguarding Policies and Procedures, Bristol study

Forward has recently published a study on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Safeguarding as around 60,000 girls are still at risk in the UK. In the last decade several new safeguarding measures have been introduced such as the FGM Manadatory Reporting Duty, which obliges professionals to report to the police if a girl under the age 18 has undergone FGM. The study examined the lived experiences of African diaspora communities and professionals of the these new measures, using the Participatory Evaluative Ethnographic Research (PEER) approach. 

Results

• Due to the growing attention families have been facing more suspicion and stigmatisation from schools to healthcare
• FGM Manadatory Reporting Duty has made some professionals to jump to conclusions and report cases without sufficent evidence
• Healthcare and education professionals do not assess all indicators of FGM, even only finding one led to referral to social services or to the police
• Thanks to the FGM Information Sharing System many women who underwent FGM had  uncomfortable and disstressing conversations with healthcare workers on this topic during their pregnancy
• As part of the new FGM safeguarding interventions police conducted home visits unanounced, which was a huge disstress for families
• Many participants reported a constant feeling of being 'suspected' in every area of their lives

Recommendations

• Improved training for professionals
• Review FGM safeguarding in medical care
• Reconsider police involvement in routine FGM safeguarding
• Provide support for families impacted by FGM safeguarding
• Review the national FGM safeguarding risk assessment guidelines
• Review the special policy approach to FGM safeguarding
• Community centric approach