howard mcsweeney1 wrote:I always think of FGM as being practiced in backward societies in the third world rather than any religious groups. Unfortunately when some move to Europe they carry on the disgusting practice.
The question then is why there have been no prosecutions in the UK(as far as I know) when Doctors, Teachers, social services and others are told to report any suspected cases?
I absolutely agree with your first paragraph. In the second paragraph you are right in stating that teachers are expected to report this, however, this is virtually impossible, how do teachers spot this? Doctors and Social Services have the authority to sanction inspections if suspicions arise. Teachers cannot and absolutely should not for obvious reasons. There are safeguarding procedures though and these largely come down to witnessing a child's discomfort in sitting and also noting the age (typically around 10) and going to their ancestral country for a term-time 'holiday'. Outside of that, this is very dicey. Look at UKIPs manifesto pledge on FGM for handling this situation like a bull in a china shop.
As regards the prosecutions of FGM in the UK, legislation has been around for 30 years for this specific issue and you are right to state that, despite a few charges, no-one has been prosecuted for it.
