8. A crime against women and children – female genital mutilation.
Matter for discussion submitted by the RCN Midwifery Society
That this meeting of RCN Congress discusses the legal, health and child protection implications of female genital mutilation.
Work led by the Nursing Development Committee
Lead RCN Council member: Diane Rawstorne
It is estimated that there are 86,000 first-generation women and girls living in the UK who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). There are possibly 3-4,000 new cases every year, despite the fact that FGM was made illegal in the UK in 1985. Increasingly more health care staff are coming into contact with those who have been mutilated and they are often unsure about the issues that these girls and women face physically, legally and socially.
This year the RCN has worked across fields of practice and with many external stakeholders to identify where the RCN can be most effective in influencing these issues. One of our top priorities has been to raise health care professionals’ awareness of this practice, its effects and the importance of their role. The new publication Female genital mutilation: an educational resource which was developed by the RCN Midwifery Society and launched at Congress 2006 has been widely circulated and promoted nationally. It has also been shared with other organisations such as FORWARD (Foundation for Women’s Health, Research & Development) for use in training programmes for health care professionals. We are hoping to secure an online link to the new Female Genital Mutilation National Clinical Group, a new web resource for clinical staff, following its launch in the House of Lords in February 2007. We are also currently considering how to ensure FGM is integrated into all pre-registration nursing and midwifery education programmes.
A vital part of all education and information provided to health care workers must ensure that they are aware of all the issues around FGM. The RCN is committed to ensuring that all staff who have contact with children and families are clear about their role in relation to safeguarding children and the importance of making certain that the communities in which they work are fully aware of the law in the UK.
Female genital mutilation is a major legal and social health issue affecting women and communities across the world. The RCN is committed to continue supporting this issue nationally, in the European Community and internationally.